


Glory

by Sky_Girls



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mutual Pining, Parent Illness, foster kid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23570278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sky_Girls/pseuds/Sky_Girls
Summary: When Anne Shirley is adopted by the Cuthbert Sibling she has many things to get through,a a new town, a new family, a new school and even though she has always excelled on the academics she is more than scared at the prospect of making new friends, she calms down after meeting a nice kind brunette but when her friends tell Anne she can’t hang out with them unless she manages to get to their standard by dating the most popular guy in all of Avonlea Highschool. Knowing there’s no way that she can do this she just offers him a deal. He pretends to be her boyfriend and she helps him with a little problem called Ruby Gillis.
Relationships: Diana Barry & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Jerry Baynard & Anne Shirley, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 90
Kudos: 183





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, this is my first multichapter fic for these two and I honestly adore them so much, I don't wanna promise an update schedule, but if this chapter does well I will probably update on sunday too if anyone would be interested on that. Welp, anyways I don't wanna over explain I just hope you guys like this.

Anne sighs before blowing her hair out of her face, the ponytail she has been wearing all day is becoming undone and strands of red hair are finding their way to her face and eyes,which is pretty inconvenient when she is in the middle of cleaning up tables. She looks around realizing that luckily she is almost done, she has been in the small city of Avonlea almost the entirety of the summer and has been working at the small diner her new foster family owns for just as long and as much as she actually enjoys the work during the day,seeing the small place bursting with people and chatter, coming alive with stories of locals and tourists she doesn't like the daily clean up.

"Dude, I just wanna go home." Jerry whines as he puts some chairs upside down over the tables she has cleaned. "I hate the last day of summer vacation, it's a nightmare in every possible way."

"Dreading going back to school?" She asks her coworker distractedly. She herself is positively terrified of the start of school tomorrow. Being the new girl is never a good experience, being the new girl in senior year with her history is bound to be torture.

"I mean,yeah" He agrees with a sigh. "But also I've been working here since I'm 14 and the last day of vacations is always hell,every tourist grabs lunch here to say goodbye to the island, no parent wants to cook, every teen comes say goodbye to the summer or whatever and then no one fucking tips decently."

Anne snorts,they had been jammed packed all day, despite the fact that _Green Gables_ is a very small place, with just handful of tables it seems to be everyone's preferred place to hang out and a grab a bite. She has to admit that personally she loves the vibe, the Cuthberts didn't shy away from the fact that place is literally the first floor of their own home, instead they leaned completely into the familiar cozy aesthetic and made it a place people enjoy.

"That's true but I think that's sadly a bad habit that's prevalent on this island." She says and Jerry sends her a weird look as he does sometimes when thinks her big words, or what he calls big words,are unnecessary she just grins at him. He annoyed her at first but after two months working together she feels comfortable around him. Which reminds her...

"Jerry?" She says clearing her throat and focusing with her whole might in a spot of the already clean table,he just makes a sound of acknowledgement. "Can I have lunch with you tomorrow?"

"Of course!" He says effusively,a small hint of a french accent appearing on his voice. "Text me as soon as you get to school and I will show around, so you know where everything is. Are you nervous for tomorrow?"

"No,I have experience being the new girl." She says trying to sound as casual as possible. "Which is why I know how much it sucks to have no one to have lunch with."

She usually found herself eating alone in her old schools,sometimes months after she stopped being the new girl.

"I'll be there don't worry." He says smiling kindly at her. "But I'm sure you won't need it, you will find people who won't care how annoying you are right away."

Anne frowns and throws the tablecloth she has been using to clean the table right at Jerry's face.

"For that you are gonna mope, you big asshole." She tells him and he just laughs in her face. "I'm going upstairs."

She starts walking towards the stairs that lead to their second floor and living area with a frown. Jerry has no idea but as cavalier and well intentioned his teasing was he touched a nerve.

"Not even a good night?" He asks after her obviously amused. She flips him off over her head and he just laughs. "Remember to text me tomorrow morning."

She shakes her head as she keeps walking upstairs. He is an asshole but she can't stay mad at him.

⬾✶⥇

Anne wakes up earlier than she should, way earlier than she had set up her alarm and way earlier than she used to wake up to help open the diner and the anxiety that is pooling on her stomach is definitely the answer as to why. She takes a deep breath and gets up, she knows she won't be able to sleep so she moves to her closet and tries to figure out what to wear, she doesn't have many clothes, never has really, and even though her wardrobe has grown a little bit thanks to the Cuthberts she has nothing like she has seen other teenagers around Avonlea using. Her eyes land on the dark yellow sundress Matthew bought her despite Marilla's complaints, it's pretty and it's warm enough to still wear it, she definitely will make a good impression on her first day with it. She takes it carefully out of it's hanger and takes her favorite jean jacket out of her still mostly packed duffel bag. She can hear Marilla coming out of the shower so she hurries to take her towel and her combat boots and goes to the bathroom.

Once she is done with her shower and her makeup she walks into the kitchen to find Marilla making pancakes. Anne frowns confused she doesn't usually cook breakfast at the home, not when she has to open the diner.

"I can make breakfast." She says and Marilla jumps startled.

"Jesus Christ, child, you are gonna kill me." She exclaims annoyed but doesn't respond her comment. "You are awake early."

She just hums and starts setting the table for the three of them. Despite all the respect she has for Marilla she still doesn't know exactly how to deal with the older woman, she has never met someone quite like her, she is stern and strict, and even though she had an initial distrust of her as most people do she has turned out to be a fair woman, someone reasonable and practical, she has affection for the woman but she isn't sure how Marilla sees her, or what her opinion of Anne is, and that makes her feel unsure about almost every interaction they have. On the other side she has a total and utter adoration of Matthew Cuthbert, the unassuming man has a heart and soul of gold and she has never felt as comfortable with someone else as she does with him.

"Now that you started school you will be helping around _Green Gables_ just three times a week on the afternoons you can pick which days that is but let me know the week before." Marilla says putting down a plate in front of her, as she looks downs he notices she made chocolate chip cookies. "You don't need to work weekends either if you have something to do."

"What would I have to do?" She asks through a mouthful of the pancakes, she is sure etiquette frowns upon her actions but chocolate chip pancakes are her favorite breakfast ever.

"Study." Marilla says with a frown and Anne looks down, avoiding her eyes. "Or maybe hang out with some friends."

She bites her lower lip and shrugs, she has never been good at making friends and she has never found herself having weekend plans.

"I should probably get going." She says to Marilla awkwardly. "I wanna get to know the school so I won't get lost between classes."

Marilla just nods curtly at her and Anne gets up to clean her dishes as soon as she is done Marilla talks to her, handing her a small bag and a travel coffee mug. "Here's your lunch and some snacks, that high school food is nowhere near healthy."

Anne looks at her surprised, no one had ever packed her lunch before, it's not actually a big deal but it stills makes her throat tighten a little.

"Thank you." She says taking it and hurrying out of the house.

Maybe today won't be as tortuous as she thought it would be.

When she sets foot on the school her phone tells her is barely 7:00 am, there's still an hour and a half left for the start of her first class. And no matter what Jerry promised she is pretty sure he isn't even awake yet. She wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, though, so she texts him.

**_Me:_ **

**_any chance you are actually at school already?_ **

**_Jerry boy:_ **

**_DUDE U AT SCHOOL_ **

**_ITS LIKE 7 AM_ **

**_IM STILL DOING MY LIL SIS HAIR_ **

**_WTF ANNE_ **

**_imma be there soon tho i promise_ **

**_its not even that big of school_ **

**_u don't need an hour to know it_ **

**Me:**

**I'll just wait for you**

**Don't worry**

**Jerry boy:**

**I'm worried**

**abt ur mental health**

**who the hell wakes up this early**

_**Me:** _

_**ha ha ha** _

_**just hurry up I'm bored already** _

She sighs just sitting on a close by bench and opens Jane Eyre on her phone. She prefers reading physical books over digital ones any time but she is not always able to carry them with her between foster home and foster home so she keeps all of her favorites on her phone. As she reads she can hear footsteps but she ignores them assuming that whoever it is won't pay any attention to her.

"Hello?" Obviously, she is wrong. "My name is Diana Barry, a pleasure to meet you,you must be Anne."

The mentioned redhead looks up to find a beautiful brunette looking down at her with curious dark brown eyes.

"Yes." She nods a little weirded out. "I'm Anne, with an e, a pleasure to meet you Diana."

"Same goes to you." The girl smiles widely at her. "I've heard so much about you."

Anne frowns, she doubts they were good things. They never are.

"What are you doing here so early?" Diana asks and Anne shrugs. She considers answering with the same question back but this girl's casual kindness and seemingly genuine interest stops her.

"A friend said he would show me around the school but he is a little late." She says. "Or well I was a little early."

"Oh, I can show you around!" She says happily,holding her hand and making her stand up. "The school isn't even big so we won't need much time but it's always good to know where everything is,we should probably go to the office to get our schedules."

Diana walks as she talks and Anne can't help but laugh.

"I never said yes, you know?" She asks hoping she doesn't sound aggressive instead of amused.

"Oh,sorry." Diana says giggling and still leading her. "You weren't complaining at least."

"I wasn't." She agrees.

"What were you reading on your phone?" The brunette asks casually. "I noticed you were reading a book while waiting for your friend, I hope that's not creepy."

"Just barely." Anne tells her making her laugh. "Jane Eyre, it's one of my favorite books."

"We read that last year on our literature class." She informs the red head. "I gotta admit I expected a way different romance from what I've heard about the book and Mr. Rochester, I couldn't really enjoy the book because of it."

"It's definitely not the best example of what romance should strive to be, I don't really mind the romance in the book give me a Mr. Darcy over him any day,but I hold Jane very dearly."

"Is it because she is also a orphan?" Diana asks, coming from anyone else the question would have annoyed her,but Diana's voice is not judgmental nor filled with pity, she seems mostly just curious.

"I do feel a certain kindredship with her." Anne admits slowly.

"Kindredship?" Diana asks.

"Affinity, connection." She explains.

"Well,that's a big word." Diana tells her sounding delighted.

"I like to read." She shrugs.

"I got the impression, yes." She says smiling as they get to the office.

"Hello,Mr. Berry." She says politely to the man behind the desk, he smiles at them kindly. "This is Anne, the new student, we are here to pick up our schedules, please."

"Good morning." Anne says waving.

"Good morning,sweetheart, I hope you enjoy your stay here at Avonlea High School." He says kindly, so Anne bites her tongue not to comment that no one really enjoys high school. "Here are your schedules, ladies."

"Thank you." Diana says politely receiving both schedules. "I hope you have a nice day, sir."

She thinks Mr. Berry wishes them a good day back but she can't really hear him as Diana drags her out of the room. And starts talking.

"We have a similar schedule, even some of the same AP classes!" She exclaims happily. " Your locker is a little far from mine,we should go there so you can leave your things and such,there's no actual need to show you around when you can just walk with me to classes and then you can have lunch with me and my friends,obviously."

As Diana keeps talking she takes out her phone and texts Jerry

_**Me:** _

_**No need to hurry anymore I found someone else to show me the school** _

_**I think I'll have lunch with her too, actually** _

**_Jerry boy:_ **

**_Yo i told u u would be fine_ **

**_I am a lil hurt u are standing me up already_ **

**_Feeling kinda betrayed rn_ **

_**Me:** _

_**Next time Marilla makes plum puffs imma save some for you** _

_**Jerry boy:** _

_**Suddenly i love u** _

_**See u later 😝** _

She shakes her head and focuses on what Diana is saying. As she follows the brunette down the hallways of her new school she can feel positivism rise on her. Today has the potential to be a marvelous day, she is feeling it already.

Anne morning goes great, she isn't behind on any of her classes, no professor makes her introduce herself and Diana sits next to her in all the classes, she waves and talks a little with some people but apparently none of her friends have the same morning classes they do. She insist that she will meet them at lunch and by the way she talks about them she is already excited to meet them. She is also a little anxious as they walk to the cafeteria but Diana installs on her a sense of security that doesn't let the anxiety on her stomach grow into something bigger than a subtle flutter of a butterfly. She already made a friend, she has Jerry too, Avonlea is being extremely kind to her and she has faith that it will keep being.

"Oh, they are in our table already." Diana says pointing to a group of girls, she hurries there dragging Anne by the hand, obviously excited. As they walk she examines the girls who are talking and laughing comfortably with their lunch trays in front of them. There's two blonde girl and two brunettes, they are all beautiful and the clothes they are wearing seem pretty expensive and stylish.

"Hello, girls." Diana says as they sit. "This is Anne, she is-"

"I've heard about her." One of the blonde girls answer, her pretty face contorted in a disgusted expression. She looks at Anne up and down and the redhead's stomach drops.

"There have been a lot of rumors about you, you know?"

"There always is." She says trying to sound calm. "But the nature of rumors is that they are barely ever true."

"Well I can see that some are true already."

"Josie-" Diana warns her friend but she just keeps talking.

"I've heard you weren't the prettiest but honestly I didn't imagine how right they would be. I know freckles are in trend right now but there's such thing as a disgusting amount. And the other things I've heard wouldn't be weird if they were true, knowing her background, Diana."

"Josie this is unnecessary." Diana says looking for the other's girls support but no one else talks.

"You know nothing about my background." Anne says, teeth clenched.

"We all know the things foster kids get up to." She says with a shrug, Anne takes a deep breath hating how a small gesture can make her feel like she is nothing but a cockroach . "And I've heard the things you can get someone for the right amount money."

"Oh, fuck you." Anne spits out. "I don't need to stand the prejudice of a blindly privileged upper middle class girl who has her head so far up her ass that she isn't capable of seeing beyond her own reality or producing a single logical thought for herself."

She takes her things and walks quickly out of the cafeteria. She is not gonna cry. She is not gonna cry. She is not crying.

She has heard all of these things before, she doesn't care what anyone else thinks of her. She doesn't care what anyone says.

And that's why she just goes to the gym and hides under the bleachers until lunch is over, she gets to her next class alone,almost late and sits on the only place available that's far away from Diana who is sitting with the small blonde,the one who wasn't totally and completely vapid, but didn't stop her friend either.

In all of her afternoon classes Diana is with one of her friends. And doesn't try to approach her.

She shouldn't have expected anything else. She shouldn't have expected anything at all. At this point in life she should know already that the fastest road to disappointment and sorrow is hope.

⬾✶⥇

She walks back home, she leaves her last class as fast as humanly possible and ignores all of Jerry's texts, when she gets to _Green Gable_ s he is already there but he knows now not to ask.

He doesn't stay until the end of the shift and as grateful she was at first now she wishes she could send him to the table with the blond asshole sitting in there and making lewd comments.

"Come on." He says smiling,he is attractive in a very traditional way, she is sure if he smiled at her while behaving like a decent human being she would be blushing and stuttering but the malicious glint on his eyes has her in high alert. "Just tell me when you get out of here, I can walk you home."

"I live here." She says trying to stay polite, he is a customer after all. "And here is your check."

"We can always go to my place then." He says with a wink and she just ignores it.

"I'll come back later to pick up the money." She mumbles. "I have other tables to serve."

She turns around, ready to go but she feels a big hand wrap around her wrist. Shivers go down her spine as her chest tightens,flashes of other times, of other hands, go through her brain. There are people around he can't do much, at most he can beat her and she is no stranger to that.

"You see." He says in a velvety voice that makes her nauseated. "I don't think I'm ready to go until I get a proper answer for you, don't worry sweetheart I'll tip you well if you know what I mean."

She considers punching him, but any sort of reaction tends to bring bigger consequences.

"Let me go." She says slowly, tugging her arm slightly but his hand just tightens around her wrist. Maybe she will have to punch him.

"I don't want to." He answers.

"Let her go, Billy." A demanding voice says and the blond's hand finally eases her grip on her. She walks quickly away and hurries to behind the counter. A physical object between herself and that guy makes her feel a sense of security.

When she turns back to the asshole's table she can see him frowning up to who she guesses is the guy who helped her. She can't see much of him from this distance, the only feature she can truly appreciate is his messy black hair that curls loosely in a perfectly stylish and seemingly unintentional way. It looks soft and shiny and the question of how it would feel around her fingers dances for a few seconds in her mind but it doesn't last long because the asshole stands up forcefully and walks out of the diner as curly haired boy walks towards her.

"Here's the money for what he had." He tells her with an almost smug smile. "And tip good enough to make up at least a little bit for how big of an asshole he was."

She doesn't know what to answer, still feeling shaken up as a result of the interaction,so she just takes the money.

"Now,unless there is more dragons that need slaying." He gives her a lopsided smirk, the left corner of his lips lifting slightly more than the right one. "I would like to order some take out please."

She clears her throat.

"What do you want?" She asks simply.

"Two cheese burgers, a big portion of fries, and chicken wings please." She just nods and writes it down to go hand it to the cook. When she returns he is still sitting on the same spot.

"I'm sorry for him." He tells her. "No one has raised him right, and he is an asshole by nature too so it makes it all harder."

She just nods at him stiffly,she looks around but there's no one to serve therefore nowhere to escape.

"So what's your name,miss?" He asks , the same smirk on his lips, his hazel eyes focused on her.

She doesn't answer, for some reason she can't.

"My name is Gilbert." He says offering her his hand but she doesn't take it. Luckily the door of the diner opens and she shrugs at him and goes towards the newly occupied table.

Once his food is ready she is feeling guilty about the way she treated him, she was awfully impolite when not only was he very kind he actually helped her a lot. So he goes get his food and as she puts it in front of him she says.

"My name is Anne." She says softly. "With an e."

"A a pleasure to meet you, Anne." He tells her,his voice impossible soft. "With an e."

He punctuates his last words with a wink and then he turns around to leave. She rolls her eyes at him and continues with her job.


	2. You Get Me Losing All My Cool

She drags herself out of bed,barely even registering any of her movements or decisions,she gets dressed somehow and she manages to have breakfast with Marilla and Matthew like a normal person, she even has a conversation with them, one she forgets instantly but a conversation nonetheless.

It's a seemingly normal morning until she gets to the bus stop and instead of taking the one that makes the 10 minutes drive to school she waits for the next one,the one who takes her to Charlottetown. It' a 45 minute ride, would be much faster with a car,but she doesn't mind she has time to kill and she wants to be as far away from Avonlea for a while. She just puts on her earphones and starts listening to her sad playlist because there's nothing better than being sad in a bus listening to Lorde.

She has been to Charlottetown a few times, mostly with Matthew or Jerry but she knows how to handle herself and even though she is not incredibly familiar with the city it's smaller than many other cities she has been left to fend on her own before. Besides she has a goal in mind, she knows exactly where she is going.

She gets off in the right stop and just walks a few blocks before she gets where she wants, some people throw weird looks at her but no one questions her. That would be impossible on Avonlea , she misses the anonymity of cities sometimes, she misses being unimportant when she wants to be.

She steps inside the small bookstore/coffee shop carefully not wanting to be noticed. She is not ready for human interaction just yet, so she just goes to the poetry section and hides there.

The tall shelves cover her completely so she just spends a good amount of time looking around,trying to find a book that interests her.

She lands on an anthology of Emily Dickinson's poems and she sits down on a corner and starts to read.

The thing she loves about reading, about books, is that no matter what kind of book they are,they make you feel less alone. Fiction gives you characters you can love, characters you can cry with, you can laugh with, you can live with,it can inspire you,it can give you an out, a support, a reason to keep going. Poetry shares feelings and reassures you that somewhere out there someone,maybe even a someone who lived hundreds of years ago, felt the way you are feeling right now, that someone out there gets you.

She doesn't resonate with Emily Dickinson's poetry itself,as much as she enjoys it, but she resonates with her, she is a kindred spirits,she feels not only on her words but also on her story, she was considered odd,strange, no one got her, everyone seemed to believe she wasn't how she was supposed to be, that she didn't belong with the rest. And to a girl who has spent all her life hearing that she is a weirdo,that she is an outsider, it touches her heart to know that someone who felt as completely foreign to the world as she did could create something and beautiful and interesting and timeless as these poems. The also shared a love for flowers.

Anne sighs when she finds a poem she resonates with.

**_I hide myself within my flower,_ **

**_That fading from your Vase,_ **

**_You, unsuspecting, feel for me —_ **

**_Almost a loneliness._ **

There’s a sad beauty to it and right now she needs to find something beautiful on her sadness.

“Anne?” She hears someone call her name, it's a familiar voice but ultimately unrecognizable to her. She looks up with a frown and founds the same hazel eyes and messy curly hair looking down to her. She frowns. She doesn't want to interact with anyone today.

"Hi." She says in the most annoyed and unfriendly way she can muster before going back to her book.

“Hello!”He asks slightly surprised. “What are you doing here?”

She knows what he means, she shouldn’t be in a bookshop miles away from Avonlea high on a thursday at 10 AM, but she doesn’t know him and she doesn’t care that he helped her last night he isn't getting an actual response.

"Reading." She deadpans without even looking at her.

"I mean,obviously." He says and she can feel the eye roll on his voice, she doesn't appreciate it. "But shouldn't you be in school?"

"Shouldn't _you_ be in school?" She asks back, she honestly has no idea if he should, she has no idea who he is or what age. But it seems like a good retort.

"Fair enough." He says and Anne can feel him hovering around. She turns the page without reading the poem, hoping that sends him an obvious message.

"So what are you reading?" He doesn't get it.

She just shows him the cover of the book without saying a word or looking at him.

He stays quiet for a few seconds and she thinks he finally is going to leave but he speaks again.

"I've never understood what's the big deal about her." He says sitting on the floor a few meters away from her. She doesn't dignify that with an answer. "She is so cryptic and sometimes nonsensical, her poems don't even rhyme and most don't make any sense,what was she on?"

"She has a particular and original style." She says, not willing to stand this slander. "She challenged the definition of poetry at the time and even today she pushes the boundaries."

"There's no point of pushing boundaries when nothing truly comes out of it." He says with a shrug and Anne frowns at him. "All in all it's incoherent."

"Incoherent?" She asks completely offended on behalf of one of her favorite poem writers. "That you aren't able to exercise the level of literary analysis and critical thought to understand and dive into the topics she deals with and the manner she decides to do it doesn't mean she is incoherent."

He chuckles, fueling Anne's anger.

"I understand her alright." He says dismissive. "But there it isn't anything truly deep in there she was just trying to be edgy,plus she is just annoying like what's the point of all those dashes."

Anne glares at him and stands up as she starts looking around the bookshelves.

"Emily Dickinson was a daring and interesting poet who had an eccentric and sophisticated vision that wasn't appreciated until years after her death and the subsequent publication of her works and is today widely acknowledged as an important proto-modernist poet." She takes out a book out of the shelves and turns to the guy. "And her work has been today reclaimed as a part of the feminist movement."

She slams the book into his chest. The cover reading _Emily Dickinson analysis for the 21st century_ facing her.

"So yeah." She says with an annoyed smile. "She is a big deal."

She turns around and walks away quickly she thinks she hears him laugh and say something else but she ignores him and walks out to have some lunch. She is not in the mood to deal with pretentious smug boys.

⬾✶⥇

When she wakes up the next morning she is incredibly tempted to just skip school again but tragically she is incredibly committed to her education and the possibility to continue it so she makes herself get up and do her very best to act like a normal human being. She throws on a hoodie and a jeans walks out of her bedroom just to find Matthew outside of her door.

"Good morning." She says surprised and he smiles at her. No matter how lousy her mood is she can't help but smile back.

"Good morning." He tells her in his usual gruffy voice. "So umm I know how teenagers like to go out after school to hang out as you say so in case you get invited anywhere."

He hands her a 50 dollar note she returns it to him immediately.

"No,no,no." She says shaking her head. "I have my own money,you guys have been paying me you know? Plus I do get tips."

"You should always save your money." He says pushing the money into her hand.

"You should save your money." She tells him. "I have way more time to be financially responsible."

"Are you calling me old?" He asks her,the corner of his eyes narrowing with a smile as he hides his hand behind his back when she tries to give back the note.

"Yes,exactly."She says frowning at him. "Therefore you shouldn't waste your money."

"This is not a waste." He says kindly,his eyes soft enough that Anne finds herself accepting the money. "Use it to invite Jerry along too, he needs more friends."

Anne pretend to laugh and Matthew flicks her nose making an actual laugh bubble out of her. She has nowhere to use this money on,no one who would invite her anywhere but of course she doesn't tell him that. She just smiles and goes to have breakfast when they get to the dining room Matthew winks at her making it obvious she shouldn’t tell Marilla. She looks down laughing which makes Marilla send them a disapproving look.

She sighs. She needs to appreciate the fact that she already has so much more than she has ever done,she can’t focus on the small things that were never good before.

She walks to school, trying to be there as close to the bell as possible to minimize any chance of social interaction.

Of course that doesn’t work because Jerry has no regards for punctuality and of course he is waiting for her outside.

“Nice seeing you.” He says a little sarcastic. “I really appreciate being ghosted.”

“Being ignored for a day is not ghosting.” She says rolling her eyes, he is obviously not hurt she can see that but she does feel a little guilty about it when he refers to it like that.

“It is when I’m worried sick about you missing school after you left lunch like you did the day before and then I couldn’t find you anywhere.” He tells her. “But sure go off.”

She glares at him and just walks inside the building and to her locker.

“What happened?” He asks following her.

“Nothing.” She says simply.

“Are you sure?” He insist. “Cause I can beat up some people for you.”

He flexes his right arm and Anne let’s out an unwilling snore.

"You can't beat up your own shadow." She says pushing his shoulder slightly, Jerry stumbles backwards in an exaggerated manner and Anne rolls her eyes. "But really it' all okay, see you at lunch?"

He has a question obviously in the tip of his tongue but the bell rings so she just smiles at him and leaves to her class,she makes it there just before her teacher and sits on the first row,refusing to look behind.

It's a quiet history class and her mood feels more settled when she comes out of it. Thing that is ruined as soon as Diana intercepts her.

"Anne!"She exclaims,standing in front of her. The redhead just nods and takes a step to the side so she can be on her way. Diana steps in front of her stopping her. “No, no, no, please listen to me. I'm so sorry about what Josie said, it was so rude and uncalled for and honestly just vicious. I tried to make her apologize but she wouldn’t.”

“It’s alright.” She shrugs. “ It’s not like I care what your friends think of me.”

“They are not my friends.” She says firmly looking at Anne in the eyes before deflating slightly. “But I refuse to speak to them until they apologize, Josie for saying what they did and the rest of them for not stopping her and thinking I’m exaggerating, that was cruel and I don’t wanna surround myself with people who think that’s alright.”

Anne wants to say she should probably have thought of that before doing it but she bites her tongue.

“So I was umm hoping that I could sit with you at lunch today.” She says with a hopeful smile.

Anne considers telling her she can’t but apparently she challenged her long time friend in the benefit of a girl she has just met. She has to admire that.

“Um, of course.” She says nervously fixing the strap of her backpack. “I will be having lunch with Jerry too, by the way, he works with me at _Green Gables._ “

“That’s fine of course.” Diana smiles at her seeming relieved. “See you later then.”

Anne waves at her and Diana leaves happily to her next class.

Lunch is quite the chill affair, even considering how shy Jerry is around Diana at first.It’s a pretty decent school day but by the end of it she is tired already so she just heads straight to her room she will take a shift on the diner tomorrow.

That afternoon certain brown haired boy stops by the diner to buy take out and he is definitely not disappointed that she is not there.

⬾✶⥇

She has a quiet weekend she takes the morning shifts at the diner and she spends sunday afternoon messing around with Jerry and texting with Diana.

She very enjoys it actually and when monday comes she is fully ready to enjoy it. Avonlea seems promising now and she won't worry about anything else.

She is already having a nice.morning after first period just talking to Diana by her locker when she hears someone call her name.

"Anne!" She turns around and locks eyes with the Emily Dickinson hater. "Anne!"

Diana points at him but she just ignores it.

"Hey, carrots!" He calls an she can feel that he is right behind her,she isn't sure if it's this or the stupid nickname but she turns towards him.

"What do you want guy whose name I don't even remember?" She says glaring at him. It's a lie, she does remember his name but there's no way he will leave her alone if he notices that.

"Gilbert? Hi?" Diana says at the same time and Gilbert just smiles and points at her.

"Hello, Diana." He says calmly. "A pleasure to see you again, I hope you had a nice summer."

Diana is going to answer that but Gilbert turns to Anne and smirks at her leaning against the lockers.

"So I bought that book you recommended." He says and she tries not to look surprised,Diana doesn't even try apparently. "I'm not sure it's convincing me."

"Well,maybe you just have no taste." She shrugs and takes Diana's by the hand so they start walking away.

"Well you see." He says starting to walk with them. "I don't think I agree with that statement."

"That's okay I don't think anyone likes to agree with such statements." She says with a shrug. "People don't like to face their own flaws."

He laughs honestly, throwing his head backwards a little and closing his eyes.

"That's true." He says amused before he turns to them. "Well ladies,I must go right now, but it was a pleasure talking to you both, I look forward to continuing this conversation."

He winks at them and walks towards some classroom.

"What was that?"Diana asks as soon as he is out of hearing range. "How do you know Gilbert Blythe?"

"He came by _Green Gables_ the other day." She says to simplify it but she does feel compelled to add something. "He hates Emily Dickinson"

"Does he?" Diana asks confused and Anne just nods. "And that's relevant?"

"Of course it is,Diana." She mutters as they get go their class. "Of course it is."

⬾✶⥇

Josie Pye is not happy,she really isn't. She can't believe that the stupid red head orphan came and dared to talk to her like that. Or that she stole Diana away from them. That's not that way it's supposed to be, they have all been friends for years and now she picks that pathetic redhead over them?

She has to make this right somehow.

"What the hell is the new girl doing talking with _my_ Gilbert Blythe?" Ruby asks completely offended.

Josie turns around closing her locker trying to seem uninterested and sees Gilbert Blythe saying by to them, looking first at Diana and then at the awful redhead.

"He is probably talking to Diana about some of their classes he missed last week." She reassures her rolling her eyes. "Gilbert would never fall as low as to talk to that orphan."

Ruby nods obviously relieved and an idea forms in Josie's head.

"Ruby." She calls her blonde friend. "I have an idea how we can make that little orphan pay…I mean get Diana back from her."

"Apologize?"Ruby asks hopefully and Josie nods.

"No we humiliate her." She says nodding t herself. "And make her see she isn't worth her time or anyone's."

"Josie that's exactly what got us into this."Ruby tells her with a pout. "Don't you think you were mean enough already."

"I said nothing but the truth." She tells her friend. "That girl is trash and she has no business being in our respectable town."

Ruby bites her lower lip but nods eventually.

“What we need to do is pretend to be nice.” She says. “Pretend that we want the orphan around if she only raises to our position.”

“And how would she even do that?”

“She needs to date Gilbert Blythe?”

“She can’t date **_my_** Gilbert, Josie!” Ruby exclaims and Josie rolls her eyes.

“Do you really think Gilbert would fall so low as to date _that_ girl?” She says condescendingly. “He would never, he has better taste than that and he could have every girl in this school there’s no way, he will reject her right away.”

“That’s true.” She nods. “But how will this make us be friends with Diana again?”

Josie looks over at ruby considering her next words. This isn’t about Diana, of course, this is about showing that piece of trash her rightful place but sweet, soft Ruby can’t know that.

“She respects Gilbert.” She says matter of factly. “When she realizes that he doesn’t want to be associated with her she will realize she is below us and come right back to us.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna work.” Ruby tells her and Josie shakes her head as she has seen her mom do multiple times.

“Of course it will.” She says as if her friend was a five year old.

Internally she resolves that if Diana doesn’t come back to them soon enough some well timed rumors will find their way to Ms. Barry.

⬾✶⥇

Anne is wiping the counter when she hears, she mostly ignores it and focuses on what she is doing. Jerry can deal with whoever it is. Or any of the other waiters.

Not that they have a chance because the person sits right in front of her calling her attention.

“Hello.” She recognizes the voice instantly and rolls her eyes before she straightens up to face him.

“Hello.” She says resigned. “What’s your order.”

“Two american burgers and two servings of fries, please.” He says grinning at her, who the fuck is so happy about burgers?

“Coming right up.” She mumbles and writes the order so she can hand it to the cook. When she is done she comes back to the same place she was in, she refuses to let this guy change her plans of just hiding behind counter until her shift is over.

“Hey, don’t we have a conversation to finish?” He asks her.

“I don’t think we do.” She shrugs. “We settled on the fact that you are tasteless and moved on from that.”

“I don’t think I agreed.” He says still smiling at her.

“I don’t need you to agree to know it’s true.” She says smiling back in a much less friendly manner.

“Don’t you think it’s a little harsh to judge my taste based on just one poet?” Gilbert leans in closer resting his elbows on the counter and supporting his head on his hands. Like this he looks like the picture perfect representation of innocence. It kinda makes her want to slap him.

“It’s a very telling poet, though.” She shrugs. “I think I can get an idea of what you enjoy literature wise based on it, or at least an idea of what you don’t enjoy.”

“Oh,wise carrots, why don’t you tell me what I don’t enjoy.” He offers dramatically and she glares at him.

“Don’t. Call. Me. Carrots.” She says putting emphasis in each word. He just seems to take amusement on her anger.

Asshole, as if she didn’t have issues with her hair already.

“As you wish.” He says with a small flourish of his hand. “Freckles.”   
“Fuck you.” She tells him but for some reason she doesn’t leave.

“Moving fast I see but I’m not that kind of guy.” She looks around to make sure no one is looking at them and flips him off. He laughs again.

Ugh, she hates him.

“Come on.” He urges her. “You haven’t told me my literature dislikes yet, I’m dying to know.”

“You don’t get to hear them for acting like an asshole.” She tells him and he laughs again.

“I’m sorry, that’s the only way I know how to act.” He says.

“I’ve noticed.” She mumbles under her breath but loud enough that he can hear her. This just seems to delight him even more.

“I will get it out of you.” He says completely self assured. “Don’t worry.”

“I don’t think you will.” Anne informs him.

“Oh, I can be very insistent.” He tells her.

“And I can be very stubborn.” She shrugs.

“Oh, I’ve noticed.” Gilbert says happily and she glares at him. Luckily the bell signaling that there’s an order ready sounds and it happens to be his, she hurries to get it to him and take his money.

“Ok, bye.” She says as she is pushing the buttons on the cash register.

“See ya at school, freckles.” He says cheerily but when she looks up to tell him to not call her freckles and that she won’t even acknowledge his existence in school tomorrow he is already halfway to the other.

She can’t stand that guy already. 


	3. Love Was A Currency

Diana Barry is having quite a peculiar start of the school year. If someone had told her two weeks ago that she wouldn't be spending her first week of her senior year glued to her group of friends she would have said they were crazy, those girls are her best friends, her squad she has known them since before she could even read. And she def wouldn't believe she would prefer a total strange over them she would have more than laughed in their face. But right now she has no regrets Josie was completely out of line, she was cruel,insensitive and prejudiced. She always knew Josie could be mean sometimes but never to this degree and she won't stand that.

And the other hand Anne is awesome, she is witty and fun and even if most of the time she needs to do mental pirouettes to understand what the utter hell she is talking about or how she moved from one topic to the other quickly she loves talking to her.

She doesn't regret her decision and she is honestly surprised to see Josie walking to her between classes. She isn't exactly the forgiving type.

"Diana?" She asks in a very calm tone and she frowns confused. "Can we talk?"

"Are you ready to apologize to Anne fo r what you said?" She says daringly, resting her shoulder against the lockers. Josie looks at her with an annoyed glance, she had always been able intimidate everyone, even Diana herself but she won't let it happen this time.

"I stand by what I said." She says scrunching up her nose. "She is not in our level, she can't just hang out with us like that."

"Then we have nothing to talk about." She says taking a book out of her locker and closing the door.

"No,no, wait." Josie says. "I do admit maybe i was too...dramatic, I didn't say things in the best way possible and maybe there's a chance I could apologize to her and she could be in our group."

"Oh,is there?" She asks equal parts sarcastic and interested.

"She needs to ge social standing, raise to our level so we won't fall to hers." She explains but Diana is still confused.

"How would that happen?"

"If she were to I don't maybe date someone popular she could hang out with us." She says and Diana shakes her head instantly. "Someone like Gilbert Blythe."

"Josie that's ridiculous." Diana huffs and the blonde glares at her instantly.

"Oh, so I am being ridiculous again?" She asks indignant and Diana has to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"That's not what I said but you can't just force someone to date someone else so they can be your friend."

"I'm not forcing anyone." She says sounding offended she would even suggest it. "I'm offering a compromise so you can come back to our group and if you tell your friend Anne I'm sure she will agree."

"I won't tell her to do that, Josie please."

"So what?" She asks seeming almost sad. "Don't you want to be our friend again? Don't you miss us?"

Josie's tone makes Diana soften immediately.

"Of course I miss you guys." She tells her taking her hand. "But this is unfair and I know that deep down you know it."

Josie pulls away her hand almost violently,her eyes full with tears for a second.

"I guess that you care more about her already." She mutters. "Good to know that all these years of friendship mean so much to you you can't even try and compromise with me."

"Josie, no." Diana says almost desperate. She can't let Josie think they don't mean anything to her. "This is unfair."

"You are being unfair." She tells her. "I try to find a way so your new friend can join our group and you don't even consider it? I can't believe you."

She turns around and storms off,making everyone move out of her way and Diana is so preoccupied with her own thoughts she doesn't notice the head of red hair standing a few steps behind her hidden between other students.

⬾✶⥇

Anne's mind is spinning. Diana's and Josie's discussion keeps replaying on her mind during all of her morning classes. In general she would never be interested on having any kind of relation with someone like Josie Pye and her friends but hearing Diana's reaction at the conversation makes something stir on her chest.

Those girls have been Diana's friends since they were kids,they have grown up together. She must miss them terribly, but she is standing her ground all in Anne's sake.

What Josie said was awful and the fact that none of the other girls said anything against it is not that much better but in general Josie was the only one who was downright hostile to her,maybe if she makes an effort and actually tries her best to fit in,stupid conditions and all, she can at least be part of their group or to the very least Diana can be their friend and Anne's at the same time without a war in between.

By the time lunch comes she has a resolution. Diana has sacrificed a lot for her with absolutely no need to, just out of the kindness of her heart and she should do something like that for her. It's not fair that Diana has to give up such a big part of her life for her and she will make that right.

She is absent mindedly picking at her food at lunch when Diana brings the topic up.

"By the way, you will not believe what Josie said to me today." She days dropping her fork and looking at Anne as if she is just remembering the conversation and is just as bewildered as the first time.

"What did she say?" She asks trying to seem clueless.

"It was totally ridiculous. “ She huffs completely indignant. “She said that she would accept you in our group if you rose to our level? Like, excuse you? that’s so fucking dumb as if you were below us.”

“And how would I do that?” She asks with a snort.

“By dating Gilbert Blythe, apparently.” She says rolling her eyes.

“I could do that.” She mumbles after a beat and Diana laughs for a second before she realizes that Anne is being serious.

“Anne you don’t have to.” She says shaking her head. “Josie is just being childish, it’s an awful unnecessary idea, all she needs to do is actually act like a grown up and not a brat.”

Anne laughs softly but shakes her head.

“She might be a brat.” She agrees, wholeheartedly. “But you miss her, you miss all of them.”

“Maybe.” She concedes. “But just because I miss them it does not mean I will enable their shitty behavior and fall into their tricks.”

“You wouldn't’ be.” Anne shrugs. “I would.”

“No one should, though.” Diana shakes her head. “That’s just not the way to deal with this.”

“And what is?” The redhead asks.“You losing your best friends forever.”

“They will come to their senses.” Diana says and they both turn around to look at the girls’ table, they find that they are all looking at them and as soon as their eyes meet all of them look away. The small blonde one, Ruby, looks down and up at them again biting her lower lip but doesn’t do anything else. “Eventually.”

“Are you sure?” She asks with a sigh. “And even then, it might take them a while do you want to spend so much time of you last year together fighting with them.”

“I don't.” She admits. “But I don’t think this is a good idea either.”

“Just let me try it.” She pleads.

“Anne..” Diana warns her but Anne shakes her head.

“If it doesn’t work it doesn’t work and we move on.” She tells her putting her hand on top of Diana’s. “You have been so nice to me already but you don’t need to give them up for me, if there’s a way for you to keep them I think we need to try.”

She bites her lower lip, looking at her straight in the eyes before she sighs heavily.

“Is there anything I can say that will convince you to not do this?” She asks heavily.

“Nope.” Anne says with a popping sound for emphasis which makes Diana smile a little.

“Just be careful, okay?” She says. “Gilbert is a good guy, but he has never dated anyone he isn’t the serious relationship type.”

“That works perfectly for us.” Anne tells her excitedly. “We can do this,maybe, but if we can we can get it over quickly and no one will get hurt.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Diana says incredibly hesitant.

“We just have to try.”

She nods slowly, looking unsure. But Anne already has a plan and she is determined to follow it.

⬾✶⥇

Anne looks up as soon as she hears the door of the diner open but once again it’s not who she wants it to be. She takes a few menus and goes to hand them over to the middle aged couple that just entered _Green Gables,_ putting a smile on her face as if she wasn’t utterly disappointed that they were not Gilbert Blythe.

She needed to talk to him, she had gone looking for her after her last class, their last class, but he walked faster than she did and she couldn’t catch him before he got into his car. Now she is praying he will appear here, like the previous days and now instead of ignoring him or fight about his lack of literary taste she will try to have a normal, human conversation. One where she asks him to pretend to date her so she can be friends with a group of girls she doesn’t even like. Totally normal.

She is jumpy and anxious for at least one hour before he decides to show up and finally put her out of her misery. 

She sees him sit on the counter and runs to him before anyone else can go.

"Wow this is new." He says cheerful. "I never thought the day you would be excited to see him would."

"I'm not excited to see you." She corrects him, which probably is going against her resolution to have a normal conversation with him. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh?" He says interested,his eyebrows lifted in quite an odd way. "What could that be about? Are you finally telling me the list of things I don't like?"

"It's not that." She tells him rolling her eyes, before looking around. "You should probably order first or this is gonna get long."

"What?" He asks confused but Anne just takes her pen and her notepad and stares at him so he will tell her his order. "Okay I want two chicken wraps."

"That's all?" He nods and Anne hurries to take his order to the kitchen and back.

"Okay this is gonna be weird." She warns him. "Very, very weird but I'm asking you to at least consider it."

“Okay…”

“Or at least hear me out.” She starts rambling. “I know it might sound very unreasonable and unnecessary and honestly, just like a completely wild and crazy idea but I promise that I have a good reason.”

“What are you talking about?” He asks confused and Anne takes a deep breath to calm herself.

“I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend so Josie will let me be part of her group and Diana can be their friend again.”

He opens his mouth and moves it as if to say something but nothing comes out he just stares at her extremely confused.

“I know, I know, I know.” She says before he can say anything. “It’s absurd situation and if you say no, then well, it’s no, I won’t be mad at you about that or spit on your food or something, but I really, really hope you say yes,because Diana is my friend, I never really had a friend before, except Jerry, and she misses her friends terribly, but you see, she stands by her morals and ideals and they were very mean to me or Josie was, and she won’t be their friend again until she apologizes to me and let’s me hang out with them, but to do that I have to be on their same social standing or some shit, and apparently you are very popular around here so what I need to do to be worthy of their presence or whatever is date you…”

Gilbert stares at her, obviously trying to process everything she just dumped into him. She stares back at him, feeling anxious and shy but refusing to look away first.

“Soooo…” He starts seemingly still confused. “You want to date me?”

“I want to pretend to date you.” She corrects and he nods.

“And you want to do this for Diana.” He says and she nods. “So she can be back to her friends."

"Exactly." She says.

"So Diana gets back her friends, you get to still be friends with Diana.” He trails off for a second before raising an eyebrow. “And what do I get?”

“Uh,uhm, excuse me?” She asks confused.

“What do I win?” He asks with a shrug. “Everyone seems to be winning something here except me.”

“What do you want?” She says with a sigh and he hums distractedly, of course he doesn’t even know what he wants.

“I want you to convince Ruby I’m the worst boyfriend ever after this charade is done.” He tells her.

“What?” She asks confused.

“Ruby Gillis has been obsessed with me for like years.” He explains. “And I think I’ve been very clear over the fact that I don’t want to be involved with her in this way but she never seems to fully get it.”

“So you just want her to leave you alone?” She asks and he nods.

“Basically,and at this point I think that’s probably what it would take.” He tells her. “If you find any other way I wouldn’t oppose to it, but the quicker the better.”

“Okay.” She mumbles. “So I get Ruby off your back somehow and you will do this?”

“Exactly. “He says and extends his hand to her do we have a deal. She takes it and shakes it.

“Deal.”

Their hands stayed joined for a few seconds more than necessary, she wants to let it go but his eyes have her trapped somehow, luckily the cook calls his order number and she manages to break free.

“Imma go get that for you.” She mumbles letting go of his hand and walking as quickly as she can.

When she comes back with his food she is a little more calm, not that she was any kind of unsettled or uneasy before, she was completely normal.

“I gotta go.” He tells her taking his phone out of his pocket. “But you probably should give me your number if we are gonna date, or well fake date, especially since we have to hash things out.”

“I will explain later.” He says as he hands her his phone, she takes it and quickly puts her number in giving it back. “Or tomorrow maybe, I gotta go now.”

He walks out of the diner as she just starts cleaning some tables a few minutes later she feels her phone vibrate. She takes it out quickly and sees a new text from an unknown number.

**_unknown number:_ **

**_you wrote your name wrong 😛_ **

Under the text there’s an image of her contact name on his food changed to _carrots🥕_ that makes her roll her eyes.

She puts her phone back on her pocket, hoping he sees that she read the text and just refused to answer to it.

⬾✶⥇

Anne is leaving her biology class when she feels someone tap her on the shoulder, she jumps startled and turns around to see Gilbert who seems too amused with her reaction, she takes a step away from him and frowns. She didn’t even know they had this class together.

“Hello.” He says smiling at her.

“Hi.” She sighs heavily and the corners of his lips lift up even more.

“So I was thinking-” He starts as he walks with her.

“You do that?” She asks and he just laughs, she can feel the corner of her lips pulling into a smile but tries to control herself before he notices, by the way his eyes sparkle for a second she knows she failed.

“Anyways.” He says shaking his head. “And we can’t just start dating, you know?”

He says in a whisper, leaning in closer to her as they keep walking, his breath tickles against her skin and she shivers surprised.

“We need to start hanging out before.” He keeps explaining. “Be friends or otherwise it would be weird as fuck for everyone else, in fact it’s gonna be weird for everyone no matter what, because I don’t really date, so we have to be as realistic as possible.”

She hums stopping in front of her physics classroom but he just goes right in. How didn’t she notice him before.

She goes behind him and sits next to him. He turns to her completely looking at her curious.

“You are right.” She agrees, she is almost sure Josie doesn’t think she could ever do this, and that’s why she set the task so she can’t let any room for suspicion on Josie’s part. “So what do we do.”

“We just start hanging out more, freckles.” He says and she rolls her eyes at him. “Like for example, you could have lunch with me today.”

“I’m supposed to have lunch with Diana and Jerry.” She says automatically, not really wanting to have lunch with Gilbert but he just shrugs.

“We can have lunch all together, duh.”He says just as the professor walks in and she turns to the front of the class nodding. He leans in closer again. “So it’s a deal? Lunch today, you, me, and my friends.”

“You have friends?”She asks in a whisper as the professor starts getting ready and he hides his laugh in a cough.

“Deal or not, freckles?”He asks and she nods he offers her his hand and she rolls her eyes but shakes it.

As soon as the professor starts talking they both turn their complete focus on her. And Anne feels very relieved that she doesn’t have to keep talking to him.

⬾✶⥇

Her literature class is finishing when she turns to Diana, she hasn’t told her about Gilbert yet and she is kind of dreading it. Luckily she doesn’t share this class with him.

“So, umm, we are gonna have lunch with Gilbert right now.” She tells her friend. “If that’s alright, of course, I mean you can not do it, but I sorta promised him I would, I already texted Jerry and he has no problem with it. “

“Of course, of course.” Diana says with a confused frown. “I have no problem either, but how did this happen?”

“He comes to _Green Gables_ a lot.” She says,which is not a lie. “ We’ve talked a little before as you know, but yesterday we talked a lot and he invited me to have lunch with him.”

“Anne you know what I think of this.” Diana says worryingly biting her lower lip.

“I know, I know.” The redhead sighs. “But it’s just lunch, it means nothing, he is just being friendly, it’s not marriage proposal.”

“It feels like you are using him.” Diana tells her with a frown. “And he is a nice guy, he doesn’t deserve it.”

“You said it yourself, he isn’t the dating type.” She tries to convince her. “He isn’t the dating type, this might end up in nothing and if it doesn’t then it’s not like I will break his heart or something.”

“It just doesn’t seem right to me.” Diana looks down playing with the hem of her skirt.

“Just trust me okay.” She says looking straight into her eyes. She wished she could tell her but the more people know secrets the easier it is for someone who shouldn’t to find out. And despite it all Diana is Josie’s friend, that's a liability. "I have all of this handled,I promise."

Diana sighs defeated but says nothing,so she just walks with her until they reach the cafeteria,they sit on a table and Gilbert appears out of the nowhere a few seconds later with his own lunch.

"Hello,Diana." He says with flare,before he turns to her. " Freckles."

"Don't fucking call me that." She tells him pointing her fork at him.

"Would you prefer I call you carrots?" He asks amused and she huffs.

"Imma stab you,Blythe." She tells him which makes him laugh out loud.

"I leave you alone one second and you are already threatening someone." Jerry says sitting next to her. Despite the fact that he has been texting her all morning with questions she refuses to answer he has the good sense to not ask about it. “Gilbert, dude.”

They fist bump and Anne has to remind herself that in small towns everyone knows each other to some degree.

“She is honestly so violent.” Jerry says. “I apologize for her.”

“I’m kicking you out of this table.” She tells him and she hears Gilbert laugh.

“He is my guest now, freckles, not yours.” He informs them. “You can stay as long as you want, Jerry, don’t mind her.”

“I never do.” He says shrugging and Anne turns to him offended Diana giggles and Gilbert laughs as his friends finally join the table.

“Hello guys.” He says and points to Anne. “This is Anne, with an e, mind you, and Anne this Charlie and Moody.”

She waves at them a little awkwardly.

“You are the new girl who is living with the Cuthberts?” The one with curly hair asks and she braces herself for what’s coming next. “He is on the diner daily lately, right? And you still want to have lunch with him? Why would you?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same thing.” She says heavily making everyone laugh as Gilbert kicks Charlie under the table in a very non subtle way. She actually laughs at this and Gilbert sends her a smug look. She rolls her eyes at him but he just smiles bigger.

Everyone starts talking and laughing and Anne has such a great time she doesn’t have time to notice Josie’s pissed off face or Ruby’s watery eyes just a few tables away. 


	4. They Know You Walk Like You Are A God

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, this is the last chapter i had ready and with uni being as all consuming as it even tho im having online classes I can't promise in good faith that there will indeed be a chapter next weekend but I'mma try my best! Meanwhile I really want to hear what you are all thinking so far, what you think is gonna happen or just in general how you are liking the story. Thank you all and I hope you enjoy this decently long chapter!

Gilbert has no idea what drove him to accept Anne’s deal. He is not even that annoyed by Ruby’s crush on him, it’s been going on for almost as long as he can remember and even though it’s awkward he has managed to live a perfectly normal and good life. Maybe it’s because how nervous and anxious Anne was, he barely knows her but the few interactions they have had give him the impression she is not someone who is that concerned about people’s opinion of her, or at least won’t try to change their opinion of her, he doubts the self assured, slightly aggressive person he has found himself face to face with is an exception. So he guesses this whole thing is very important for her and he wants to help her. He is just a good person like that, he guesses.

But all in all he is very confused with himself. Even his dad noticed something but he obviously avoided the question, how would he explain this to anyone. It’s impossible. 

But despite that just as he finishes his first class he finds himself walking towards Anne locker with a smile on his face. He won’t deny he actually enjoys spending time with Anne, maybe even sought it these last few days, she is funny, she is smart, she is interesting and she is a good distraction from the rest of his life, he won’t pretend he doesn’t enjoy her company or that she doesn’t amuse him. Or that he isn’t kind of excited to see her right now, or more accurately kind of excited to annoy her. 

He sees her flaming red hair, shining like a beacon between the sea of students calling his attention instantly. He smiles to himself and very quietly walks until he is right next to her,leaning against the lockers hidden by the door of hers, just waiting for Anne to notice him. She closes her locker and jumps startled. 

“Jesus fucking Christ, Blythe.” She says with a frown that makes his smile bigger. “Make a noise next time.” 

“It’s not my fault you don’t pay attention to your surroundings, freckles.” He says and she glares at him. He chuckles to himself, there’s something extremely amusing on her glare,which is exactly why he keeps calling her these dumb nicknames. For some reason she seems to mind freckles way less than carrots. He is very curious as to why. 

“I pay attention to my surroundings.” She says prideful. “You are just an asshole.” 

“I am.” He admits. “I just don’t see how that relates.” 

“Well I don’t have time for assholes.” She tells him raising an eyebrow. “So I just don’t pay attention to them.” 

He laughs easily, he enjoys the easy bickering they have, the way they can just go back and forth already. He enjoys how he usually doesn’t know what she will come up with next. 

“You are paying attention to me now, though.” He tells her and she squints at him. 

“Am I?” She asks and starts walking away from him. He follows her, of course he does and it’s not only because they have their next class together. 

“Yes, you are.” He tells her, he doesn’t miss the way the corner of her lips lift slightly and he doesn’t really question the feeling of victory that overcomes him with that small gesture. 

She doesn’t say anything but when they get to the classroom she sits on the desk next to his.He knows she is doing it because of their deal but he still appreciates it. Just as he appreciates having lunch with her. And talking to he while waiting for his take out. 

He appreciates his time with her she is just an interesting kind of person, that’s all. 

“You know.”He starts while they wait for their teacher to come. “I was thinking we should probably hang out not in school or the diner.” 

“Should we?” She asks turning to him on her chair and he smiles leaning in closer. 

“We need to make this more realistic, don’t you think?” He says in a lower voice and she looks away from him for a moment for some reason before clearing her throat and nodding. 

“You are right.” She admits. 

“How much did it hurt you to say that?” He teases.

“It caused me such a tremendous pain I’m not sure how I would be able to survive.” She says with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. He just grins at her. 

“Do you have to work today?” He asks her trying not to sound too hopeful, because he isn’t. 

“Nooo.” She says looking hesitant. 

“Great.” He says. “We should go out after school.” 

“Where?” She asks confused but doesn’t say no and Gilbert just points at their teacher in front of the blackboard. He can feel her glare on him and he bites his lower lip not to laugh. 

⬾✶⥇

Anne is suspicious to say the least, she isn’t really comfortable getting into Gilbert Blythe’s car and going to some undisclosed location and she is comfortable with all the weird, guilty looks Diana keeps sending her when they say goodbye. But she is committed to this plan and she has to do her best to make it as perfect as possible, so when the moment comes no one will question anything. She doesn’t have a plan exactly but she knows what she has to do. 

“You are not gonna murder me,right?” She asks when he starts the car and he laughs loudly. 

“That would be a terrible move.” He tells her. “Everyone saw you leave with me and it’s not like there would be many suspects in Avonlea.” 

“That’s not actually reassuring , you know?” She shakes her head to herself he looks on her direction and she points towards the road. “It actually seems like you have considered it?” 

“Come on, freckles.” He says with his annoying, smug smirk. “ Don’t you trust me?” 

“No.” She deadpans. “I don’t really know you.” 

“Harsh.” He says with a smile curling up his lips. “And a lie, because I know you enough to know that you are gonna love where we are going.” 

“And if I don’t?” She asks daringly. 

“I won’t let you keep that going because I know that if we were to bet you would lose.” Gilbert informs her. “And I’m a good person.” 

“You are too confident for my liking.” She pouts and he chuckles. 

“I’m the perfect amount of confident for this situation.” He says as he parks the car in front what seems to be a normal street. When she pays more attention she sees a small building with a big sign that reads  _ ‘Snow Queen bookshop’  _ on the window, when she looks inside she can see comfortable couches and chairs where people sit as they drink cups of what seem to be hot beverages and eat sweets. She would have lost so badly if this was bet. 

She gets out of the car at the same time Gilbert is walking towards her with a frown. 

“I was gonna open the door for you.” He complains. 

“This isn’t the Victorian era, Blythe.” She rolls her eyes at him.”There's no need for all that.” 

“My dad would wholeheartedly disagree.” He tells her as they fall into an easy step towards the bookshop. 

Once they are inside Anne can’t help but smile, every little corner of this place is filled with books, she can see a small hallway that connects the room filled with books to another one with less books but many comfortable seats and food and drinks. This is honestly heaven for her. 

“I hope you payed attention to how to get here.” He says as he walks towards a bookshelf and starts looking for a book to read she assumes. “Though if you didn’t I can always bring you here so you don’t have to go all the way to Charlottetown for a good bookshop.” 

She doesn’t know what to say to that so she just moves towards a bookshelf herself, she finds a poetry book she is interested almost right away and picks it up knowing she has enough money to buy it. 

“Come on.” He says with a book on his hand, she notices it’s an astronomy book. “ Let’s go sit somewhere and read, you don’t even have to talk to me.”

“That sounds like the perfect plan.” She says walking to particularly comfortable looking couch. 

“I’ll invite you the coffee too.” He grins. “To make up for the torture my mere company inflicts on you.” 

“You don’t have to-” She starts but he interrupts her as he drops his book on the table. 

“Come on, freckles.” He insists. “Let me be nice for once, what do you want? Drinks and snacks are both included in the question.” 

She looks at him with pursed lips, he is looking at her completely casually but something about the way he holds himself tells her he won’t drop this. 

“A chai and two croissants please.” She mumbles sitting down and his grin grows bigger. 

“Coming right up.” He lets her know with a wink and she rolls her eyes. 

She gets herself comfortable reading her book and when he comes back with the drinks and food he keeps his promise that they don’t even have to talk. 

It’s weirdly comfortable, she doesn’t feel awkward or overtly aware of his presence, despite the fact that he is obviously there and she doesn’t forget it, she can just relax and focus on her thing. 

It’s quite the enjoyable afternoon. And if she has fun bantering with him on the car ride back then he doesn’t really need to know, does he?

⬾✶⥇

Josie does not like when things don’t go her way.Some people call her a brat, she calls herself driven. If she wants something she will do absolutely all she needs to get it, she won’t let anything or anyone stand on her way. Which is why she has no idea why that little orphan thinks she has the right to do it. She came to  **_her_ ** town, **_her_ ** school, stole one of  **_her_ ** best friends. And now she is gonna try to get into  **_her_ ** friend group. 

Because of course that’s what she is trying to do going around with Gilbert Blythe all week, she was sure that Diana would tell her, she had no doubt of that, she didn’t even doubt the redhead would try and do it, what she never saw coming is the fact that Gilbert seems to be following her around like a lost puppy. They go together everywhere, they have lunch together, he drives her home apparently, they hang out without their other friends it seems. 

It seems like the orphan could actually pull this off and she hates this. 

“Why is Gilbert han gin out with  _ her  _ again?” Ruby asks with a frown. Obviously Josie isn’t the only one who is not happy with the situation. “They had lunch all last week together, did you know he drove her to school today?” 

Josie rolls her eyes and doesn’t dignify that with an answer. 

“Do you think he actually likes her?” Ruby gasps. “Do you think he is falling in love with her?” 

Josie sighs not wasting her breath on explaining to Ruby that one can’t fall in love with someone in a week and half. 

“Of course not.” She answers instead. “He is probably just being nice, they fight all the time if you’ve noticed.” 

Their fighting could also be called blatant flirting depending on the angle but she won’t tell ruby that. 

“She is gonna steal my Gilbert away from me.” Ruby whines and something lights up in Josie’s mind. 

“Is she?” She asks just the right amount of daringly that Ruby will take the bait. 

“Of course she is!”She exclaims.

“Honestly, Rubs.” She tells him kindly. “I don’t know if you can say she is taking him from you when you have never done anything to actually have him, have you? “

“I shouldn’t have to.” She says indignant. “He should come to me.” 

“After all these years I think it’s obvious that he won't.” She shrugs. “So unless you do something about it, I don’t think you have much to complain about.”

Ruby looks at her with her mouth open and eyes big and a little watery. 

“What can I do?” She asks unsure. “I can’t just go and talk to him.”

“Why not?” Josie asks casually and Ruby predictably panics. 

“Because I can’t!” She exclaims with a pout. “I have to have the right setting, the right moo,d it has to be the best possible situation for me, I have to look my best.”

“If you keep being like this you’ll never find the right moment, Ruby.”She tells her with an exasperated sighed. “And then someone will indeed take him away from you and it will be your fault, maybe even the orphan.” 

“You shouldn’t call her that.” She pouts but glares in the direction of the redhead’s locker. “They keep talking, Josie.” 

“Do something about it.” She shrugs. 

“But what?” She asks and Josie shrugs again, acting uninterested. “Come on help me here.” 

“Alright.” She says with a heavy sigh, as if Ruby hadn’t walked straight into her plan. “I will ask my parents if I can have a party this friday, you will dress your best, look your best, we will invite everyone but the or-redhead, and you can go ahead and at least try to flirt with him.”

Ruby bites her lower lip and Josie smiles to herself. There’s no way that Gilbert turns down Ruby. She is beautiful and kind and there’s a line of many boys who would die for an opportunity with her. And to his core Gilbert Blythe is a boy and beauty tends to make them very stupid. 

“Okay.” Her friend mumbles with a shaky breath. “Let’s do this.” 

And with that she gets the word running, making very very careful work of keeping it away from the orphan.

⬾✶⥇

The news of a party at Josie’s house this friday reach Gilbert like a secret which is unusual enough that he suspects that there’s something more to it than a simple party. He doesn’t really know what it is but the way Ruby keeps sending him looks has him uneasy. He takes some time to decide to tell Anne about it, he has no idea why but he stalls it until the end of the day when he is sitting on the counter of the Cuthbert’s diner waiting for his and his father’s food. 

“So you will go with me, right?” He asks casually and then realizes he didn’t specify to what. 

“What?” She asks confused looking at with raised eyebrows and he smiles to himself. 

“To Josie’s party.” He says as if she should know already just to test her reaction. She rolls her eyes at him annoyed and he smiles bigger. 

“What party?” She asks exasperated. 

“Josie’s party.” He says looking at her as if he didn’t believe she can’t get it. 

“Gilbert!” She exclaims annoyed hitting his arm lightly with small notepad she uses to write people’s orders. 

“Always resorting to violence, freckles.” He says shaking his head and cradling his arm as if it hurt horribly. “I don’t think that's healthy. 

She just stares at him inexpressive and he chuckles to himself giving up the game.

“Josie is throwing a party this friday.” He tells her. “You are going with me, right?” 

Anne frowns to herself he distracts himself staring at the way she scrunches up her freckled nose in thought. 

“I guess I have to go.” She mumbles with a heavy sigh. 

“Don’t sound so excited, freckles.” He teases her and she glares at him. 

“I don’t like parties.” She says with a simple shrug and he frowns. 

“You don’t have to go.” He tells her honestly. “I don’t even have to go.”

“Would you usually go?” She asks 

Gilbert nods, last year he would have gone to whatever party someone invited him but this year with his dad being like he is he wouldn’t mind spending one more night at home with him.

“Then we should go.” She shrugs. “If Marilla lets me.”

“Hey, maybe she doesn’t let you go and we can use that as an excuse.” 

She nods absently seeming more happy.

⬾✶⥇

“I can not believe she let me got.” Anne mumbles to herself as she examines her appearance in the mirror. She is wearing a simple black strap crop top with black ripped skinny jeans and her combat boots. She has a light smokey eye and her lips are a bright red color and she feels totally and completely boring and awful. She takes a red flannel shirt and tie sit up around her waist for later when it’s colder. 

She doesn’t like parties,she doesn’t know how to dress for parties or how to act at parties. The few she has been in she has ended up feeling totally and completely out of place and inadequate,while sitting in a corner nursing a beer she doesn’t even like just so people won’t annoy her. 

She doesn’t want to go to today’s party. But Gilbert is outside already so she needs to get going and prepare herself for a surely shitty night.

She yells a goodbye to Matthew and Marilla who reminds her of her curfew and leaves quickly. On the streets she find gilbert playing around on her phone, when he looks up at her he gives her a weird look that makes her feel self conscious and her cheeks turn red. 

She examines his casual look, dark ripped jeans and a white shirt, and envies his ability to look good in anything. He looks ready for the party and once they are there he probably will look like he belongs there. Because she has noticed that Gilbert makes himself belong anywhere, he has a quiet sort of confidence that makes him seem like everywhere he is is his place to be. She wishes she had that. 

“Hi.” He says in a raspy voice and Anne raises her eyebrows at him.

“Hi.” Anne says back, he just stares at her for a few seconds, not saying or doing anything. His eyes make something prickle on Anne’s skin and she hurries to chase that feeling away. “Will you move so I can get into the car or…?” 

“Yeah, yeah!” He exclaims looking startled for some reason as he opens the car door for her. She moves to get inside, finding herself momentarily trapped between the car and Gilbert, his face just inches away from hers for a few seconds before she hurries to sit down. He closes the door carefully. He walks slowly to the driver's seat and she takes the opportunity to take deep breaths and calm down her rapidly beating heart. She must be way too anxious about that party. 

As he starts the car she takes his phone and picks a random playlist from his spotify, he smiles at her for a second. He keeps telling her to do that, to just pick his phone up and put some music. She always asks for permission first and he insists it’s not necessary. She never feels comfortable not asking but right now she needs something to shift the mood.

“So why don’t you like parties?” He asks out of the nowhere. His voice still weird for some reason. 

“I haven’t been to many.” She says. “And all the ones I’ve been to were...pretty fucking boring and uncomfortable actually.” 

“I won’t let you get bored don’t worry.” He says with a laugh and she rolls her eyes. 

“I’m not sure being constantly annoyed is any better.” She mumbles resting her head against the window. 

“It’s to the very least more interesting.” He tells her with a wink.

“I wouldn’t call you annoying me interesting.” She says and he laughs. 

“Be honest.” He says in a smug tone. “You enjoy it.” 

“I definitely do not.” She says indignant, completely ignoring the red that creeps to her cheeks. 

“I’m a delight to be around even for you.” He assures. “You like having someone who is capable of taking your aggressiveness and sarcasm.” 

“I am not aggressive.” She says with a frown. “And have you ever thought that my sarcasm is based on the fact that I don’t really like you?” 

“Naaah.”He says after a second. “You do?”

“Do not!” 

“You do!” 

“Noooo!” 

“Tell that to your smile.” He retorts and she bites her lower lip, refusing to answer to him. She hadn’t even realized she was smiling. 

“We have arrived to the ball,my lady.” He tells her as he stops the car and she rolls her eyes as she gets out of the car. 

“Don’t worry, really.” He tells her when he is next to her. “I won’t let this party suck for you and if it does we just leave, no pressure.” 

“Thank you.” She mumbles softly. 

“Whenever you need.” He says bumping his shoulder with hers. “Carrots.”

He walks quickly towards the big house after the use of that horrid nickname and she is left standing there in rage for a few seconds before she starts walking after him. 

“Don’t call me carrots, you asshole!” She yells after him and he laughs waiting for her at the door. 

⬾✶⥇

It turns out that Gilbert is actually right, not that she would ever say that to his face, but it’s not like he doesn’t know it already. His smile is a little too smug as he passes her the bowl of chips they are sharing. They are all huddled in the stairs. She is sitting in one step, her body totally pressed against Gilbert’s as he sits ignoring all the room he has on the other side of the step that he could use while not invading her personal space. Diana a step down from her sends her a look but Anne avoids her eyes. Jerry is sitting with her, his back against the wall as he looks up at them, meanwhile Charlie and Moody are eating some ice cream in the step below Diana and Jerry. 

They haven’t been living the party life per se but she is having fun, she is talking with her friends, Charlie and Moody are honestly hilarious while teasing gilbert all the time and Gilbert himself has been nice. Or as nice as he can be, he has made sure she has everything she wants, any food or drink she desires without having to pass the big mass of people and smoke and alcohol smell that the big living room of the house has become. 

“Listen all I’m saying is that the movies did Ron dirty.” Anne says leaning in so she can get some salsa from the bowl Charlie and Moody are holding. When she does that her chest is left pressed against Gilbert’s legs and he rests his elbows on her back, not telling her sit up again. “And that David Yates has no rights.” 

“Rowling has no rights.” Gilbert tells her as she struggles against him so she can go back to sitting but he doesn’t budge. An agreement hum goes around their group. 

“Another reason to not actually read the books.” Jerry says leaning back in a self satisfied kind of way. 

“No!” She exclaims.”You totally need to.” 

“They are super good, dude.” Moody agrees and Ane feels Gilbert lift his elbows from her back but as she tries to get up his hand replace them. The strength he is using is not nearly enough to keep her in place but something about the way his fingers start tracing the skin of her shoulders in mindless patterns makes her stay in that position no matter how uncomfortable it actually is. “You def should read them.” 

“The thing is.” Jerry says taking a sip of his beer. “I don’t know how to read.” 

An startle laughs bubbles up from everyone and Gilbert finally takes his hands away from her. She doesn’t miss the contact at all after she sits up straight again. And she doesn’t sit a little bit closer to him at all. 

“That explains so much.” She says between laughs and Jerry sticks his tongue at her. She sends him a kiss as Gilbert puts an arm around her shoulders surprising her.

“Do you want another drink?” He asks against her ears and she can’t really hide the way his breaths makes her shiver. She can feel the way he smiles and pulls away slightly rolling her eyes. 

“Yes, please.” She tells him handing him back her glass. She has no idea how he got the mojito of if he made it himself but she won’t question it. He stands up winking at her and she pretends to ignore him but her eyes follow him as he goes down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Just as he is about to enter the kitchen a small blonde girl steps in front of him. She needs a few seconds but she quickly recognizes her as Ruby. She frowns to herself as the rest of her friends keep chattering. 

She sees the way she puts her hand on his arm getting closer to him. She sees the way she bites her lower lip and looks up at Gilbert all shy charm and soft laughter, making her beauty even more disarming. She feels her stomach turn for some reason and she wonders if she should have asked for that second drink in the first place. 

She almost misses how Gilbert takes a step back, she can’t really see his face but she sees the way Ruby’s falls, her flirty expression turning into heartbreak quickly, the light hits her just the right way for Anne to see the tear that runs down her cheek and just as Gilbert leaves her behind with a shake of the head Anne gets up quickly.

“I’ll be right back.” She tells Diana as she goes down the stairs. She hurries through the bodies on the improvised dance floor and finds the door to the backyard. She has no idea why she is doing this, she shouldn’t really care that Ruby Gillis is crying alone in her best friend’s backyard because Gilbert probably rejected her but she feels responsible for it somehow. This probably wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for her or this stupid plan. 

“Are you okay?” She asks softly and Ruby jumps surprises.She glares at her as soon as she recognizes her, the expression in total dissonance with her angelic face. 

“Come here to gloat?” She asks venomous and Anne just takes a sit next to her in the floor. 

“I’m just worried about you.” She tells her honestly and the blonde frowns confused. 

“I am not your friend.” She states and Anne just nods at her. “And you are the reason why I am crying anyway.” 

“Excuse me?” She asks confused and Ruby huffs. 

“If it wasn’t for you he wouldn’t have rejected me.” She says and Anne flinches knowing how false that sentence is. “I just don’t get it. What do you have that I don’t? Why am I not enough for him?” 

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Ruby.” She says kindly. “Someone being or not attracted to you is not reflection of your character. And there’s nothing wrong with you if they don’t like you.” 

“But I love him! If i knew what it is that he wants I would be that.” She says with a pout and Anne frowns contemplating how to word her next thought. 

“It wouldn’t be fair to you, would it?” She asks her and the blonde pouts. 

“I don’t care.” She sighs heavily. “I just want to be with him.”

“Your person,your personality.” She says slowly. “Is worth way more than being with some boy. You are obviously a vibrant, passionate person and very beautiful, no boy is worth changing all of these amazing aspects of you, if they don’t like it, of they don’t see how amazing you are, you don’t need them.” 

“But I want him.” She complains. 

“Why?” She asks. 

“What do you mean why?” She asks offended. “He is so dreamy.” 

“I personally think that being the amazing woman that you are.” Anne starts. “You deserve something more than just dreamy.” 

Ruby looks at her wit wide eyes as if she is trying to understand what she is saying. 

“And you deserve so much better than someone who leaves you crying alone in the middle of a party.” She says, not that she blames Gilbert truly. He can’t force himself to have any feelings, but if Ruby is going to put all of her romantic interest into someone it should be someone who makes at least some effort for her. Or someone she actually knows better, someone she can describe as something more than just dreamy. Not that she will tell her that. 

They fall into a silence and Anne stands up as she goes back into the house she hears Ruby call her name.

“Thank you.” She says in a whisper and Anne nods. “Thank you for worrying about me even though we are not friends, and even though I let Josie be awful to you.” 

“No problem.” Anne says awkwardly with a shrug and goes back inside. 

When she climbs back the stairs Diana looks at her confused and she just mouths a ‘later’ to her.

“What happened?” Gilbert asks in a whisper as she sits next to him. 

“Nothing.” She tells him taking her drink from him. 

“Are you sure?” He asks her concerned. “Do you want to leave?” 

Something in his tone of voice and his obviously concerned face makes her move closer to him. Now they are sitting in the middle of the steps the side of their bodies totally pressed together for no reason. 

“Nah.” She says shaking her head and he nods still obviously concerned. She flashes him a smile and jumps into the Star Wars conversation that’s going on between Jerry, Charlie and Moody. 

Gilbert puts his arm around her shoulders and if she leans a little into him that’s just to be more comfortable.

⬾✶⥇

“Why don’t you like Ruby?” The questions comes out of her mouth with no input from her brain as Gilbert is driving her home.

He turns to her surprised and she can’t blame him. Mere seconds ago they were quietly listening to music, enjoying the feeling one can only get pass midnight driving in a car when the world around you seems in deep slumber. 

“What do you mean?”He asks and she shrugs. 

“Why don’t you like her?” She repeats.”She is beautiful, she is very sweet, she must be pretty smart , why don’t you like her?” 

“What brought this up?” He asks again avoiding her question. 

“I talked to her.”She admits. “Right after your little, ehm, interaction. She was very sad.” 

“I might not have been the kindest.” He admits with a look of guilt. “Why did you go after her?” 

“I guess I just felt responsible.” She mumbles. 

“It’s not your fault, Anne.” He says softly. “We would have found ourselves in that situation sooner or later. I’ve known her my whole life at some point I was bound to tell her I have no feelings for her, hopefully this lets her move on from me.”

“Do you think she will?” She asks him and he shakes his head. 

“I have no idea.” He admits. “One never knows when it comes to Ruby Gillis.” 

Anne thinks of the girl sitting on the floor,crying to herself and who still insisted that she wanted Gilbert no matter what. She has no idea either, honestly. 

“You haven’t answered my question, you know?” She tells him as he stops in front of her house. 

“I don’t know what to answer.” He tells her. “She is I don’t know too sweet.” 

“Damn, Blythe.” She says with a snort. “I didn’t know that was such an awful thing to be.” 

“It’s not.” He says with an awkward chuckle. “I honestly just don’t know , she is just not my type, I guess.” 

“And what is your type?” She leans against the car window raising her eyebrows daringly.

“What is your type?” He shoots back, mimicking her movements. 

“I don’t know.” She answers honestly. 

“You don’t know?” He asks confused. 

“I never really had time to worry about it.” She admits a little hesitant. She has no idea of it’s the late hour or the minimal amount of alcohol but she feels like she can be honest right now. “That’s never been a priority for me, not when I’ve had to worry about where I will end up next, if my next foster home would be a safe place or not, if I would end up back in the orphanage and...Well the point is that there were always way more important things that romance.” 

“So you’ve never dated?”He is looking at her with an intensity she has never seen before and it seems like that’s not the question he really wants to ask. 

“No.” She say simply. “There were way more important things, plus I’m not the kind of girl who gets date.” 

“Why would you say that?”He asks confused. 

“Look at me.” She says awkwardly gesturing to herself. 

“I think you are the one who has to look at yourself.” He says and she frowns confused. 

“What?” 

“Nothing, nothing.” He says messing the hair of his nape. “You should go inside it’s almost one and I don’t want the Cuthberts mad at me.” 

“Yeah, right.” She undoes her seat belt feeling awkward for some reason.

“Do you want me to walk you to your door?” He offers and she shakes her head with a snort.

“I can handle it, don’t worry Blythe.” She says as she gets out of the car. 

She walks almost slowly towards the door and fumbles a little with the keys. She doesn’t hear the engine of the car turning on until she is safely inside.


	5. They Can't Believe I Made You Weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay and I'm sorry for the very short chapter but uni sucks, luckily i don't have anything else fro a week so i will try to have a decent sized chapter for sunday.

Gilbert is having quite the amazing monday, he has been having an amazing weekend, he has been riding some sort of adrenaline high since Josie’s party and he has no idea why that is. But it’s nice and he won’t question it, his good spirits managed to even infect his dad and he seemed in much better shape this weekend. They invited their neighbors, the Lacroix, to their saturday night movie night and Mary made homemade pizza as Delly ran around the house and most importantly of all John Blythe laughed out loud, clear, unbothered, without being interrupted by coughs or lack of air. And no matter how many jokes Bash made it did not happen.

It was great and he is happy. He is incredibly happy, happier than anyone should be at 8 AM about to start classes on a monday and he isn’t complaining about it. And for some reason when he sees Anne’s flaming hair the bubble of happiness that has been growing in his chest explodes into some kind of elation. He walks towards her with his best grin and she rolls her eyes at him but she is smiling and she can’t hide that behind the door of her locker fast enough for him to not see it.

“Good morning.” He says in a sing song voice. 

“You are way too chipper for this time of the morning.” She says in an annoyed tone. 

“Oh, someone didn’t have their morning coffee.” He teases and she rolls her eyes at him. 

“I’m having it right now, actually.” She says taking a thermos out of her locker. And takes a sip, in a impulsive strike of inspiration he takes it from her and takes a sip himself. 

“You asshole!” She exclaims loudly. “You don’t even need it.” 

“I need to keep my energy up.” He tells her and she takes back her thermos violently but he can hear her chuckle softly. 

“You need to bring it down.” She informs him taking another sip of coffee, for some reason he is weirdly proud of it. “I can’t tolerate it right now.” 

“When can you tolerate me?” He asks her and he is rewarded with an actual laugh, the kind of laugh that makes her nose and the corner of her eyes to crinkle. 

“Good question.” She says actually handing back the thermos to him, which is kinda confusing but he won’t question it. He just drinks a little more coffee.”I think the answer is never.” 

“You think.” He says giving her back her drink. “That’s so much better than being sure, I feel some positive growth in our relationship.” 

She takes a long sip of her coffee not answering him and gives it back to him with an expressionless face that’s probably trying to convey the fact that she is done with him. 

“I’m leaving now.” She informs him taking her thermos back. “I don’t wanna see you until lunch.” 

“We have third period together.” He informs him as she walks away. 

“I’ll close my eyes.” She says looking back, the corner of her lips fighting a very obvious smile. He lingers a little around her locker, just because he has classes nearby not because he is watching her walk away, of course.

“I can’t believe you!” A voice exclaims near his ear and he jumps startled and surprised. He turns towards the voice confused, almost sure they aren’t talking to him but when he sees Josie frowning up at him his hopes shatter.

“I am unbelievable.” He nods to himself and she rolls her eyes with a glare. A glare he does not enjoy being on the receiving end of. Unlike Anne’s. 

“How dare you?” She asks now. 

“Listen if you don’t explain what we are talking about we won’t be able to actually have a conversation.” He says slowly and she looks like she is gonna slap him for a second. 

“ Ruby.” She clarifies and and he can’t help but to cringe. “I can’t believe you rejected her like that.” 

“I wasn’t gonna string her along.” He says. 

“Do you even realize what you are doing?” She asks shaking her head. 

“Not giving false hope to your best friend.”He says rolling his eyes.

“You are losing the best chance you’ll ever have.” She tells him and he guesses it’s kinda cute how she so so offended don Ruby’s behalf so he tries to keep himself calm. “And for what?” 

“That’s not-” He starts but she cuts him off.

“For an ugly filthy orphan that doesn’t even belong here.” 

Okay no, he is won’t be nice. 

“You have absolutely no right to talk about her like that.” He says. 

“You don’t know anything about her.” She tells him. “You don’t know the things I’ve heard, the things she has done.”

“Well luckily I don’t give a fuck.” He says turning around.

“She is not in your level, Gilbert.” She says walking behind him. “She is trash.” 

“And I don’t give a fuck about your opinion.” He says turning to her. “Or about you, so leave me alone and maybe do some soul searching about why you are so obsessed with someone you think is trash, maybe there’s some projection there.” 

He goes to his classroom, sits down and no matter how many deep breaths he takes, how much he tries to calm down.He can’t. 

Anger is boiling inside his body, not relenting for one second and he spends the rest of his class seething. Josie’s word keep going around his mind taking front and center and much more importance than some literary analysis he will be able to do anyway. He can’t believe she even dared to say that. That she even dared to think that. 

And by the end of his second period he is so damn angry he isn’t thinking what he will do. He doesn’t even have a plan all he knows is that he has to go and find Anne.

And the moment he does, he does something absolutely should have never done. 

He kisses her. 

⬾✶⥇

Anne is distractedly taking books out of her locker when it happens. She is waiting for Gilbert for their next class, so it’s not weird when he appears and taps her on the shoulder. What is weird is the look on his face, a mix of dazed and angry, he seems like a man on a mission, except he doesn’t seem to know what the mission is. 

She frowns and is about to ask what’s wrong but he stops her.

“Don’t slap me he says.” And before Anne can process it, he is crashing his lips against hers. 

She needs a few seconds to process it and then she needs a few more seconds to process the fact that her first reaction is not to pull away, it’s actually to kiss him back. She leans into the kiss, standing on her tip toes slightly, her hand going almost on its own volition to his shoulder, sliding up to his nape and playing with his hair there for a few seconds before she catches herself and pulls away as casually as she can. It’s more of a struggle that she thinks it should be, and not because Gilbert won’t let her go, which he doesn’t, not at first. It’s because she doesn’t want to pull away, there’s something warm and soft growing inside her that mixed with the irregular beating of her heart makes her feel like she has never before. A weird mix of exciting and comfortable that she doesn’t want to give up. 

But she makes herself do it ‘cause, what the fuck?

“Hi.” She smiles smiling the question hopefully obvious in her eyes. She can hear people talking around them and she bites her tongue not to let out an hysterical laugh.In front of her Gilbert grins at her as if everything was normal. 

“Hi.” He answers back, sliding his hand to hers and entangling their fingers as if it was the most natural thing on the world. “Let’s go to class.”

Anne looks at him panicked, does he really expect her to go to class after that?, but Gilbert doesn’t look in her direction and it’s not a safe enough place to asks what the hell is happening. As they walk towards their physics class she spots Josie, judging her face the news already reached her, and she doesn’t like them one bit. That makes her feel a certain amount of victory, which distracts her enough that she doesn’t notice Gilbert is leading them out of the school until they are already outside. He takes her to the side of the building to a place where they are hidden by trees and as soon as Anne realizes they are alone she yanks her hand away from his and frowns at him. Now that it all has settled all her skin is prickling, it’s like her body has just remembered that she doesn’t like to be touched, that she avoids it as much as possible cause it never meant good things before. But she can’t really reconcile that crawling feeling with the warmth that spread around her body when Gilbert’s lips touched hers. 

“Okay, so what the fuck was that?” She asks crossing her arms over her chest, trying to hide the way her hands are shaking. She hates that she is reacting like this, this was just a kiss,it means nothing and it was nice. It was truly nice, maybe a little too nice. But her brain is going overdrive for so many reasons. 

“I’m sorry!” He exclaims taking his fingers through his hair making it messier even that it always. “It’s just that...Ugh-” 

She starts tapping her foot against the floor as she stares at him. 

“Just what?” She asks when he won’t start talking again. “I’m waiting for an explanation here Gilbert.” 

“Josie-” He starts and cuts himself off with a big sigh. “Let’s just say that she said some very mean things about you and umm...About me...Well not about me but why would I want to be with you.” 

“So you decided to kiss me about it?” She asks confused and he looks at her with a small pout, his lower lip poking out just slightly looks too inviting for her sake so she just looks away with a roll of her eyes. 

“Listen.” He says with a deep breath. “I know I shouldn’t have kissed you without your permission, but she crossed the line,not only was she incredibly rude about you in general-” 

“We know how she feels about me, Gilbert.” She says and he looks at her a little confused. 

“ I didn’t know actually, I knew she didn’t like you I didn’t know that she…” 

“Thinks I’m an ugly orphan who is a druggie or to the very least a dealer, or something worse” She tells him and he looks at her surprised. “How does kissing me solve this?”

“I don’t know but she said that I was too good for you or something like that.” He says shrugging his shoulders. “So I just...I don’t know..decided to prove her that she is wrong.” 

Something swells inside of Anne’s chest and she needs to look away from him. 

“Thank you.” She mumbles with a small cough. “So what now?” 

“So I guess, we are dating.” He tells her obviously uncomfortable. 

“I guess.” She says back and looks up at him just to look away again. 

They stay silent for a few seconds and Anne just feels the immediate need to fill it up with the first thing that pops on her mind. 

“That was my first kiss.” The first incredibly idiotic thing, apparently. 

“Oh.” He says and stays quiet for a few seconds. “Oh, okay, I’m really sorry.” 

“It’s alright.” She whispers with an awkward shrug. 

“If it makes you feel better.” He says slowly. “We can like not kiss at all. I know that people, especially people our age equate kissing with relationships and such.” 

“They are all so basic.” She says rolling her eyes and he chuckles a little. 

“Yeah, they are.” He agrees. “But the point is that we don’t have to kiss again, there are other ways to be affectionate and to act like we are a couple.” 

“Yeah.” She nods and forces a smile to him. She isn’t sure she will be any more comfortable with those to be honest. But she can try. 

“So are we okay?” Gilbert asks her. His eyes so unsure, so hesitant, so honest. She can’t help but smile at him honestly and nod. 

“We are okay.” She reassures and he grins at her brightly. Like a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders. 

“You know what else we are?” He asks lightly and she shakes her head. “Very late for class.” 

She laughs at him a little shaky and he throws his arm around her shoulders. She tries not to tense. 

“You are indeed right.” She says with a huge sigh. She lets his warm surround her as they walk and she feels herself relax. 

This is Gilbert and even if she doesn’t know him enough to actual trust him. She feels like she could at some point, she needs to focus on that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw you can like follow me on twitter @sky_girls_ if you wanna. You might receive some insight into my decision making and therefore some spoilers


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So im trying to get back to my normal posting schedule and hopefully it will happen, this chapter presented itself as a little bit of a challenge but it ended up pretty decent and I hope you guys enjoy it.

The next morning as soon as Anne she wakes up she feels anxiety well up on her stomach and almost shoots out of her bed to get ready. She has no idea why she is so anxious. It’s not like today is the day she starts a convoluted meant to get her new friend to be able to hang out with her old group of friends again that will not only end up in that not happening if it fails but also will also end up in an incredible amount of embarrassment for her. And on top of that Gilbert is picking her up this morning to drive her to school.

Yeah, no reason to be anxious at all. Not even a little bit.

She gets ready quickly and hurries out to the kitchen. She has breakfast slowly, remembering that she has more time to waste than if she was going by bus. Marilla sends her a look but doesn’t say anything about it. Which she is very grateful for.

“Good morning, Anne.” Matthew says a little surprised to see her. “Aren’t you gonna be late?”

“Uhmm…Eeeeh...no?” She says unsure while looking down to her bowl of oatmeal. “Gilbert will come pick me up today. Gilbert Blythe I mean.”

“Oh.” Matthew says a little surprised. “Okay, fantastic.”

He doesn’t comment on that and a heavy kind of silence falls in the kitchen for a few seconds.

“He is a good boy.” Marilla comments after a few seconds. “You should take some coffee for him.”

Anne looks up and finds two travel mugs ready for her. It seems like Marilla made the choice for her already but Anne is not bothered by it actually, she actually kind of really likes the idea. She knows that Gilbert will appreciate it and that makes her happy somehow. She doesn’t dwell on that, and luckily her phone buzzes her screen showing her Gilbert’s text saying he is in front of her house already.

She says her goodbyes and leaves quickly. Once she is outside Gilbert is already waiting outside ready to open the door for her and she rolls her eyes at him as soon as she knows he can see it.

“Awww, did you bring some coffee for me?” He asks teasing, his eyes zeroing on the mugs.

“They are both for me.” She retorts but hands him one. He smiles widely at her and she sighs.

“So you do care about me.” He says once he opens the door. “ I’m touched.”

“It was Marilla’s idea.” She tells him. “Don’t get your hopes up.”

“I still feel cared for freckles.” He tells her, leaving the mug in the car holder that’s already filled to the brim with papers and little trinkets. Anne sighs at the hazardous situation and takes the cup herself.

“So what’s the plan?” She asks handing him the coffee at a red light and he sends her look.

“We don’t need a plan.” He tells her. “Just be normal.”

“I’m not sure my normal will cut it, Blythe.” She tells him.

“Don’t overthink it.” He says. “It will all be okay.”

She stays silent. She doesn’t see the point on telling him that those are famous last words. Or that she has never managed not to overthink in her life. She just lets anxiety grow in her chest, taking over to the point where breathing gets a little hard. And does not mention it.

As usual.

⬾✶⥇

Gilbert isn’t exactly prepared for the collective reaction that arises when he walks through the school door with his arm around Anne’s shoulders. He is vaguely aware of the fact that he is somewhat popular and therefore people are overly interested on stupid things about his life, more specifically his dating life. But there’s something very unsettling about the way everyone turns to watch as they walk towards their lockers, and it’s definitely weird the way they all whisper between them as they pass. He sighs, Anne is tense next to him and he can’t blame him this is creepy in almost every way. Don’t they have more important things to worry about than his dating life?

It doesn’t get better through the morning, which is ridiculous. And after his first class he hurries to look for Anne. He finds her on her locker as he supposed he would, he can see the way her shoulder are set, square and tense, and he can also see the way everyone sends her weird looks and he can’t roll his eyes enough at that.

“Freckles.” He says when he is finally next to her. He is trying to be as casual as possible, which is why he doesn’t draw attention to the startled way Anne jumps when he calls her attention. “May I carry your books for you in our way to calculus?”

“No.” She deadpans.

“Come on!” He insists. “It’s chivalrous.”

“And what?” She asks with a roll of her eyes. “You gotta follow societal conventions about being chivalrous even though it means nothing in the long run? And it isn’t an actual help to women anywhere?”

“Okay.” He concedes, a small smile pulling at his lips seeing normal Anne come back to life.

“Maybe chivalry is overrated-”

“Sometimes.” She corrects.

“Sometimes.” He repeats with a nod. “But I wanna do this.”

“And I tell you, there’s no need.” She tells him.

“It’s what boyfriends do.” He sing songs and she glares at him.

“I don’t care.” She sing songs back. “It’s ridiculous.”

“Come on, freckles.” He says resting his head against the lockers and looks at her with his best puppy eyes. “Let me be nice for once.”

She blushes slightly making something bubble inside his chest.

“Awww, don’t you look all cute?” She asks teasing and poking him on the cheek. “ But no.”

“Freckles.” He whines and she shakes her head with a sigh but hands him her backpack. “Take this, it’s actually heavier than the books.” She says with a roll of her eyes and starts walking away, he smiles to himself and follows her.

It seems like their small conversation relaxed her enough and he feels proud of himself for this.

He can’t help that everyone sucks but he can help with this. He catches up to her and and throws his arm around her shoulders and starts talking some nonsense. She just rolls her eyes at him but she seems fine and that’s what matters.

“You are ridiculous, do you know that?” She asks amused when they get to their seats.

“Ridiculously amazing you mean?” He asks leaning closer to her and batting his eyelashes.

She laughs softly and shakes her head.

“Just ridiculous.” She clarifies. “ An adjective on itself, Blythe.”

“You wound me, freckles.” He tells her dramatically. making her laugh.

“Maybe the day you stop calling me ridiculous nicknames I will treat you better.” She suggest.

“I shouldn’t hold my breath then.” He says and she looks at him with a roll of her eyes making him laugh softly.

Class starts putting an end to their banter and he is not disappointed, not at all.

⬾✶⥇

It’s been a fucking weird day. Everyone is looking at her constantly or whispering about her, some nice things, some not so nice, some straight up awful and Gilbert has been very, very touchy all day. Since the moment they walked into school he has been touching her somehow, at first it was his arm around her shoulders, then just the way he would walk with her to class, his shoulder constantly in contact with hers, at some point he even put a strand of her hair behind her ear.

And the worst is that she kinda likes it. In the most confusing way.

All of her life, all of her instincts have screamed at her to avoid contact with people, between her bullies, the shady foster parents that’s better to avoid and the ones who were too fond of leaving bruises human touch doesn’t have the best of implications for her. And no matter how kind the contact is she has never managed to feel positive about it.

Until Gilbert.

It’s not like she doesn’t feel weird about it, and her first instinct is to pull away anyways but when she doesn’t a completely different feeling appears, making her want to lean into him. To be even closer. It’s confusing and overwhelming and honestly exhausting.

So when after their last class before lunch Diana keeps sending her weird looks she doesn’t really process it. So when she asks her to go with her to the bathrooms he doesn’t think anything of it, she just lets Gilbert kiss her on the cheek and goes with her.

Which is why when they get to the bathroom and Diana stops in front of her with a frown she is very confused.

“Anne.” Diana starts in a warning tone and Anne frowns. “This is not a good idea.”

“Diana.” She starts very confused. “What are you talking about?”

“You can’t do this to Gilbert.” She exclaims and Anne sighs. “You are lying to him.”

“Diana, it’s okay-”

“It’s not okay!” She interrupts. “You will end up hurting him, Anne.”

“I won’t hurt him I promise.” She tells her.

“You can’t promise that.” She frowns. “It’s not really on you, you can’t control people’s feelings.”

“Maybe.” She concedes. “But I know what I’m doing and i know Gilbert and there’s absolutely no way that I will ever hurt him. Girls like don’t hurt guys like Gilbert Blythe.”

“Anne-” Diana starts again but Anne interrupts her.

“If we don’t go we won’t have time for lunch.” She tells her. “Besides they must be waiting for us.”

She hurries to leave the bathroom and Diana follows her with a big sigh. She feels her head start throbbing a little bit.

It’s been an exhausting day for no actual good reason and she hates that but she still half of it to get through.

⬾✶⥇

Anne’s been weird. She has been quiet and distant all afternoon.There’s something obviously on her mind and this makes Gilbert uncomfortable for some reason. It’s not that she isn’t allowed to be on a mood or that she can’t be quiet or whatever. It’s just that if there’s something wrong he wants to know in case he can do something to help her and make that shadow go away from her eyes.

He tells himself he won’t pry but as her mood stretches all afternoon his will thins out and once they are in his car he can’t take it anymore.

“Okay, spill.” Gilbert sighs his eyes set on the road. Not daring to look at Anne.

“What?” She asks confused.

“What’s wrong with you?” He asks back.

“Like with my personality?” Anne mumbles. “Cause I don’t think we have enough time to cover all that.”

“You know what I mean.” He tells her and sneaks a peak towards her. Her face is scrunched up in an adorable frown.

“I don’t.” She says stubbornly raising her chin.

He lets it go for now. But it's not long before they are parked in front of _Green Gables,_ she hurries to undo her belt but he stops her putting one of his hand over hers.

“Can you not do that?” She says yanking her hand away from his and glaring at him he takes his hand away slowly and looks away confused. “Can you like not touch me so suddenly, please.”

There’s a weird edge to her voice and he feels his throat tighten just at that.

“Okay I won’t.” He says softly. “I promise, is that why you have been weird today?”

“Noo.” She tells him quickly and he sighs.

“Okay.” He nods. “But you do know that if you don’t tell me things we can’t figure out way around them? We are pretending to be a couple so if something makes you uncomfortable I need to know so I won’t do them again.”

She stays quiet looking at him weirdly and he sighs.

“We are a team, Anne.” He says. “And no matter if it’s fake we still need communicate.”

She stays silent for a few seconds, her lips forming a small pout before she sighs.

“I don’t really like…” She sighs and trails off looking straight ahead of the windshield, her eyes jumping from thing to thing, restless. “I’m not fond of people touching me.”

“Okay.” He nods just accepting this fact.

“When I was-” She starts but he interrupts.

“You don’t have to explain.” He hurries to say but she glares at him so he shuts up instantly.

“When I was little.” She starts again sending him a look so he will stay quiet. “Touch was never nice, the people working in the orphanage weren’t really nice with us, they weren’t exactly cruel, or violent but they were never careful...They never cared for us. And I never had friends there, so I didn’t have much positive socialization or whatever, just, you know,people tugging at my braids, pulling my skirt, pushing me down stairs, trying to make me kiss rats you name it.”

Gilbert can’t help but to take a sharp breath but doesn’t say anything not wanting to interrupt her.

“And then at fosters homes it wasn’t always better, they could be rough with us, they could discipline us as they put it, and in some places you would hear about how well… you needed to stay away from someone’s touch, one of the foster parents, one of the older kids because uhm… you know… not that it ever happened to me but it’s definitely a scary thought to have to carry. And then even in the homes that were truly nice I avoided touch too because hugs and pats in the backs and people who help you braid your hair don’t last forever and there’s no point on getting attached to that.”

She stays quiet for a few seconds and Gilbert isn’t sure if he should say something or not. Luckily she starts talking again.

“And it’s not like...I just...” She sighs heavily. “I don’t mind you touching me but I’m not used to it, and there’s a part of my brain that still flares up with danger signs because of it even if I know it’s not necessary and even if I actually truly don’t mind that you are touching my hair or standing so close, especially when I see it coming, but if you I don’t know, put your arm around my shoulder out of the nowhere or pull me close suddenly I lowkey panic a little for a second and then I relax and it’s normal and it’s nice but fighting with that constantly it’s kind of exhausting. It’s not just you by the way, when Diana takes my wrist to go to places, or Jerry comes out of the nowhere and pats my back it happens too, but well you kinda more touchy than they are, especially right now. And on top of that people suck, everyone has been talking all day long about how come we are dating, about how I’m so not on your level, how you are out of my league or even nice things but it’s still you know talking about us and that’s weird. “

“People suck.” He says with a nod and she sighs.

“They do.” Anne agrees.

“We don’t have to be like that.” He says. “All touchy I mean.”

“No one will believe we are dating if we aren’t.” She crossed her arms over her chest and he can see it but he is sure by the tone of her voice that she rolls her eyes at him.

“We’ll make them believe.” He says with conviction and he thinks he sees a blush appear on her face but she quickly covers it with her hair.

“An, by the way, there’s also the fact that Diana is convinced I will break your heart or some shir and that I can’t pretend to date you and I would tell her about the fact that this is a ruse but when you have a secret, well, you don’t speak of it.”

“First rule of fight club.” He agrees and she finally turns to look at him. Her eyes are misty but there’s no tears on her face and that’s a huge relief for him.

“You really are tasteless, aren’t you?” She asks him and he can’t say he is so happy to see the normal her come back.

“It’s a good movie.” He defends himself.

“It ends up a glorification of everything it was trying to criticize.” She tells him. “And the toxic masculinity that radiates from that film is off the charts.”

“You are right.” He admits. “But it’s entertaining.”

“No, it’s not.” She deadpans.

“Must you criticize everything I enjoy?” He asks dramatically and he can see the way the corner of her lips lift up slightly.

“Must you enjoy things that are so bad?” She asks back, her voice full of amusement.

“Listen.” He says. “Listen, I don’t tell you no one uses words like ruse why do you have to tell me the things I like suck.”

“Because all you’d be criticizing in that scenario is the fact that I have an actual decent vocabulary and that doesn’t seem that bad, does it?”

“You suck.” He tells her laughing and she laughs softly with him. “Okay get out of here, I don’t wanna see you anymore. “

“Until dinner you mean.” She corrects him with a small laugh. “I do have a shift at the diner today and apparently the only food you eat is cooked there sooo…”

“I won’t acknowledge that.” He says smiling as she gets out of the car.

“Cooking is cheaper, Blythe.” She tells him once she is out and all he hears before she closes the door of his car.

As he drives back home he thinks of what he said to Anne, it is true that it will be harder for people to believe they are dating if they aren’t physically affectionate but he can find a way. He will find a way.

⬾✶⥇

Anne sighs sipping on her coffee. Last night when he went by the diner to get take out, because of course he did, Gilbert told her that he couldn’t drive her today to school she obviously said that there was no problem. Because there isn’t but she can’t deny the fact that being driven to school i so much easier than taking the book, and so much more comfortable than having to wait for the bus. She sighs skipping yet another song on her playlist. The one good thing about public transport is that no matter if the ride is just 25 minutes long she can still take the time to listen to her music and look dramatically out of the window pretending she is in a movie. And she can do that sitting even, since Avonlea is so small the buses are never full.

Life really is the small joys, isn’t it?

And she very enjoys it, it’s not perfect but it allows her a fee simple minutes to herself and she appreciates that, especially because as soon as she steps inside the school people are whispering about her, once again. She just hear her names once or twice but the looks everyone is sending her are obvious, she tries to ignore the prickly sensation of her skin and the heat of her cheeks as she hurries to her locker.

She shakes her head to herself, she should know how to deal with this sort of things already, whispers and rumors follow everywhere she goes it’s nothing new.

But maybe this time it is. Because the moment she gets to her locker she realizes that people weren’t judging her, probably, as she walked towards her locker, they were talking about what’s taped to it and what she would do when she saw it.

She softly brushes her fingers against the petals before very very carefully ripping the sunflower away from the door of her locker. Her heart is beating erratically as she takes the small piece of paper that’s taped to the stem and reads it.

_There are many ways to convince people we are a couple that don’t involve us touching, freckles._

_❤_

_G_

With shaky hands she hurries to put the sunflower and the note between the pages of one of her books, securing them so they won’t be lost or damaged before putting that book in her backpack to carry it with her, probably for the rest of the day.

Her heart is still fluttering as she walks to class but that’s because no one has done anything like this for her ever before. It’s almost bittersweet that it’s fake, that this is not a gesture, it's a scheme. But she can appreciate it anyway and she can cherish what everyone else thinks it means.

When she sees Gilbert she almost throws herself to hug him. It’s as much a charade as it is an impulsive need.

“Thank you.” She mumbles against his chest. He tenses for a second, the poor guy must be so confused that just yesterday she told him she didn’t like touch and now she is throwing herself at him. He must be so confused.

He relaxes quite quickly and hugs her back, very slowly.

“No, need to thank me.” He whispers against her hair and she thinks she feels him kisses her hair before pulling.

And for one second she can pretend she is the kind of person who could actually have these moments and they could actually mean something. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also maybe go follow me on twitter im as @sky_girls_ if you are interested in random updates about how the writing process is going and some random spoilers I throw in carelessly in the middle of my tweets to the void.


	7. Fascinating New Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly and foremost I want to say that I hope all of you guys are staying as safe as possible,wherever in teh world you are, if you are going to protests remember to use protective eye wear, bc rubber bullets can be extremely dangerous, baking soda and water are the best way to clean up teargas from your eyes, sucking on a lemon helps with teh annoyance it produces, and mostly keep protesting, if you can't pls donate ,   
> if you can't donate watch this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCgLa25fDHM&feature=youtu.be) and educate yourself always as much as you can. Anyways I love you all and I hope this chapter can provide a small comfort or something. I hope you enjoy.

Ruby sighs heavily before biting her lip anxiously. She sneaks a look at Josie, sprawled on her couch scrolling through her phone and nods to herself, she can do this, it’s okay she will do it.

“We should invite Diana and Anne to the beach this Saturday.” Oh my god, she said it.

“What?” Josie asks voice harsh and Ruby feels herself cringe.

“You said.” She starts, decided to do this. “That if Anne dated Gilbert she could hang out with us, and now she is obviously dating Gilbert so I see no reason why we can’t hang out with Diana and by extension Anne anymore, you also said you would apologize.”

“I never said that.” Josie glares at her.

“Well you should.” She says lifting her chin as defiantly as she possibly can.

“Are you really that eager to be around that orphan and the guy you like being all couple like?”

“Don’t call her that, it’s mean.” She says with a pout. “And I don’t know Josie, I just really miss Diana.”

Josie makes a weird face and Ruby huffs.

“It’s been a month Josie, this is the longest we haven’t talked to each other.” She presses and Josie sighs.

“You text her.” She says taking her eyes back to her phone.

“Will you apologize?” She asks hopeful.

“I will if she goes.” She says bored.

“Will you apologize to Anne?” She asks a lot less hopeful.

“I will if she goes.” She says obviously unhappy.

Ruby smiles to herself proudly. It’s time things go back to what they should be in the small world of her friends.

⬾✶⥇

Anne looks at herself anxiously in the mirror and grabs one of her plaids before she puts it on buttons it up almost completely and then sees how ridiculous she looks and ties it up around her waist.

When she mentioned to Matthew and Marilla that she didn’t have any swimsuit for this beach day it wasn’t long until Matthew decided to take her to Charlottetown to get one which he insisted on paying for, she settled on a bikini that wasn’t too revealing but as soon as Marilla saw it she classified it as indecent.

As much as she rolled her eyes at the idea when Marilla was ranting about it now that the moment she will have to be wearing it in front of people she kind of can’t stop hearing her words.

She sighs and just takes her bag,. Gilbert has been outside for almost ten minutes, she needs to stop having a mental breakdown over a damned bikini.

“Good morning.” She mumbles handing him a travel cup with coffee and takes a sip of her own. Maybe drinking coffee when she is this anxious already isn’t a good idea, but apparently she enjoys feeling like she is dying.

“Someone looks excited this morning.” Gilbert says sarcastically as he starts the car and Anne stops bouncing her leg and glares at him. “Such a ray of sunshine.”

“It’s not like spending the day at the beach with girls who hate me and will probably latch at anything I do mildly wrong to kick me out of their group and my fake boyfriend and his friends is exactly what I call a fun day.” She mumbles under her breath taking another sip of her coffee. “Besides I can’t swim sooo…”

“You don’t know how to swim?” He asks surprised and Anne feels herself blush a little.

“That’s what you decide to focus on?” She asks rolling her eyes.

“Anne we are going to the sea!” He exclaims a little alarmed and Anne sighs.

“I don’t have to go inside the sea, Blythe.” She says. “And if I do I don’t have to go pass my waist, don’t be dramatic.”

“I gotta teach you how to swim.” He whispers to himself as they stop in front of Diana’s house. “Not in the sea though.”

“You don’t have to teach me how to swim.” She sighs shaking her head at him.

“I do.” he tells her. “It’s an important ability to have in life.”

“If I drown I drown.” She shrugs and he looks at her horrified.

“You are not drowning, freckles.” He points at her. “Not on my watch.”

She doesn’t dignify that with an answer. She just looks out of the window, waiting for Diana to come out of her house.

“I will just have to stay close to you today.” He decides alone and she turns to him.

“That’s not necessary and way too dramatic.” She informs him and he shakes her head.

“I’m not letting you drown.” He tells hers.

“I won’t drown!” She exclaims.

“You just said-” He starts and she stops him.

“That was a way of speaking, Blythe.” She tells him exasperated and he grins making her realize that he is just teasing her. “You are the fucking worst.”

“I am amazing and you know it.” He tells her. “But I will indeed keep an eye on you, just in case.”

She wants to answer him but Diana steps out of her door running towards them with a big radiant smile on her face so she just rolls her eyes.

“Good morning, guys!” Diana says chipper and Anne smiles to herself. She hasn’t said it but she knows her friend is excited to hang out with her old group again.

“Morning.” She says smiling to her through the rear view mirror.

“Good morning, Diana.” Gilbert says. “Let’s get going we have a great day ahead of us and we still gotta pick up Moody.”

Gilbert starts driving again as Diana squeals happily saying it’s gonna be a great day. Anne hopes she is right.

⬾✶⥇

He drops into his towel and shakes his hair very purposefully to splash Anne and her book.

“Gilbert!” she huffs mad protecting her paperback from him and shaking it softly to get rid of the water. He grins at her and she just frowns even more. “You look like a wet dog...And you are acting just like one.”

“So what you are saying is that I’m completely adorable?” He asks resting his head right next to her thigh looking up top her with the most angelical smile he can muster.

“You are a mess, that’s what I’m saying.” She corrects him pulling his heart softly as she pulls aside her book. He laughs easily and sighs.

He hair is still a little wet from their early swim, or well splash, since she doesn’t know how to swim, making it an even deeper shade of red that shines in avery specific way when the sun hits it. As a teenage boy he probably should be more distracted by the fact that she is wearing only a bikini , and he very was at one point he won’t lie, but there’s something hypnotic about her hair, about the way it flows softly with the sea breeze brushing the freckles of her cheeks before moving away seamlessly. It reminds him of the way flames danced in the bonfires he and his dad used to make on special summer nights. It evokes the same warm feeling on his chest those nights used to.

He moves one hand up, his fingertips brushing against one strand of hair before he lets his hand fall again when he notices Moody and Charlie looking at him with amused faces and glares at them so they won’t say anything. He moves to sit up ignoring the constant scowl that has been on Josie’s face every time he has been close to Anne, which has been all day, and Ruby’s pout and addresses the group.

“Does anyone want ice cream before we go?” He asks them and Jerry yells in approval without looking away from his sand castle and even though they all laugh at him they all agree.

“Come on let’s go, freckles.” He says standing up and she glares at him.

“Why do I have to go?” She asks him with a small pout. “It was your idea.”

“I will go with you!” Ruby offers.

“Anne will go.” He says shooting the redhead a panicked looked and she stands up.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” She says and extends her hands. “Come on give us the money.”

“I’m not handing her any money.” Josie comments and Gilbert turns to glare at him.  
“Then no ice cream,I guess.” Anne says before he can say anything and quickly gathers everyone else’s money. He sees Josie handing him a few dollars but he very deliberately ignores her.

When they are walking back he looks back and sees Josie, Ruby and Diana talking in hushed tones. Both seemingly lecturing Josie about her shitty behavior. He smiles to himself and moves closer to Anne as they walk, just because he can.

⬾✶⥇

Anne had a nice day actually, which is incredibly surprising.Not that she was expecting to live through a miserable day but she was waiting for some awkwardness and feeling out of place and just not quite managing to have a good time but even though there was indeed awkwardness she didn't feel out of place out at all. Gilbert stayed by her side most of the day and when he wasn’t around Diana and Jerry weren’t letting her get bored. It was so incredibly nice.

And now Gilbert is driving her back home, humming the song that’s blasting through the speakers as the smell of the sea fills the car and she feels pleasantly tired, her eyes are closing on their own not out of exhaustion but out of peace. She lets the feeling take over her to the point that when Gilbert stops in front of _Green Gables_ he has to softly shake her shoulder for her to realize.

“How was the nap?” He asks her as he gets off the car for some reason she can’t process because she is too busy forcing her brain to wake up. He opens the door for her, her bag on his hand and Anne blinks slowly at him. “It seems like it was.”

He chuckles at her helping her get out and she yawns as he walks with her to the diner instead of the door for the house.

“I gotta buy dinner.” He tells her simply and she laughs softly. “What?”

“Cooking is so much cheaper, Blythe.” She tells him and he pouts. “Does no one cook in your home?”

“Umm…” He says sitting down by the counter and she sits next to him. “Well my dad used to but not anymore.”

“Why?” She say sin the middle of a yawn as she support her head on her hand.

“Well he is too sick to cook anymore.“ He shrugs and Anne sits up straighter. She bites down the need to say sorry, those word never help, not really. “Umm, he got cancer, well...he has cancer, we discovered it last year, he has a tumor on his right lung it’s pretty big. He is in chemo right which is why he is generally no in a great state, we are also trying a lot of experimental treatments that have a lot of weird side effects so…”

He trails off and Anne sighs, she has this stupid need of leaning in and hug him but she doesn’t.

“How are you handling that?” She asks softly.

“Well mostly buying dinner.” He says with an awkward laugh and Anne recognizes that he doesn’t want to talk about this at all.

“That must get really expensive.” She says casually and he just shrugs again. “ I can teach you to cook if you want to.”

She offers before she can think it through and immediately regrets it seeing the confused look on his face.

“I mean at least spaghetti or rice and chicken or something.” She says in an awkward cough. “Nothing really complicated, just so you can cook at least some days.”   
He stays silent a few seconds and Anne is saved by Lisa, one of the waiters,coming to them and asking Gilbert his order. She makes small talk with them for a few moments before leaving and a weird silence takes over them.

“I mean if you want to.” She says after a while. “If you don’t that's okay, I mean cooking is a basic life skill that everyone should have, but if you don’t want to acquire it right this moment that’s perfectly okay and I mean I-”

“That would be great,Anne.” He says stopping her babbling. “Thank you for offering, I would really love it.”

“Okay, amazing.” She says awkwardness still lingering. “Just let me know when you have time.”

“Okay.” He says in a soft voice that makes her look away for a reason.

⬾✶⥇

Gilbert tosses and turn, the heavy feeling on his chest not subsiding no matter how much he tries to distract himself or focus on breathing techniques. He can’t close his eyes either, his dad’s face appearing behind his eyelids each time, it’s a weird superposition of his healthy days, his bright eyes and face, and of him today, fragile, pale and sick. It hurts him every time, hitting so damn deep, rocking the small amount of stability and joy he got from the day, filling it with guilt for being away with his friends instead of cherishing every little moment he gets with his dad because he never knows when it could be the last one.

He turns around and unplugs his phone from the charger, he doesn’t even check the hour before he is calling Anne. A spontaneous decision he regrets instantly but he doesn’t have time to backtrack cause she answers instantly.

“Gilbert?” She asks in a voice laced with sleep that makes his chest feel warm.

“Did I wake you up?” He asks unsure of what to say to her now that he has impulsively called her at, oh my god, 2:18 A.M.

“No, no.” She hurries to say. “I was just finishing up a book.”

“Umm, what book?” He asks hesitant and there’s a silence on the line for a few seconds as he hears her moving around.

“It’s actually the last one of a trilogy.” She starts explaining. “It's about this magical sort of like game where people go in and if they win they can get a price, or well that was the first one and the second one, the first one was wild because the sister had to like find her sister, but the second one was about one of them finding the mother and the third one is like very weird there’s some time traveling and some fates that are some kind of gods, things seem really fucked up right now.”

“Wow…”He says. “That explains absolutely nothing and made no sense at all.”

“It’s fucking two in the morning,Blythe.” She says with a huff and he can imagine her glare. “Don’t expect me to be able to explain the intricate plot of a fantasy trilogy.”

“You have a point.” He concedes and silence falls between them.

“Why did you really call, Gilbert.” She asks and he is ready to lie but there’s something on her tone that makes him unable to.

“I couldn’t sleep.” He says hesitant and Anne just hums in signal that he should keep going. “I can’t stop thinking…”

“About what?” She asks softly when his idea trails off.

“About my dad.” He tells her honestly.

“What exactly about him?” She presses kindly.

“Well about the fact that I’m fucking terrified to lose him.” He blurts out. “And any day could be his last day of life and I should be spending with him every second I can because one never knows.”

“You feel guilty about going out today.” She mumbles and he just sighs. “I don’t know your dad but I don’t think he would be very happy with you locking yourself away every day to stay with him and letting your life pass by.”

“But…”He starts but he has no idea what he wants to say.

“It’s okay to be scared Gilbert.” She tells him. “But you can’t let that take over your life, I can’t say anything about this, I have never been close to losing anyone I love, iI can’t offer truly greta comfort words and I won’t tell you to be positive cause it seems really hard in this situation, but I can say that whenever you want to talk about this, about him,I’m here.”

“Thank you.” He tells her in a whisper.

“Why don’t you tell me about him.” She tells him. “About his personality and such.”

He hesitates for a moment but he does, he tells her about his dad and how he still smiles daily, how he still sometimes catches him singing under his breath even if it’s hard for him now,he tells her about the good days about those days where he laughs and talks and moves around the house even.

He tells her how scared he is of losing him, how his father has been his hero his whole life, how he has no idea what he will do without him.

And she doesn’t offer him advice, nor she wastes her time on empty words like ‘it will be okay.’ She just listens to him.

And somehow that’s everything.

“You know.” She says right before he hangs out. “Whenever you need to talk about this,you can call me, no matter the day or the time.”

“Thank you.” He whispers because he has no idea what else to say, he has no idea how to express to her just how this small gesture is making him feel more steady, so he just says goodnight and hangs up.

And when his eyes finally close his mind is not haunted anymore instead it's full of vibrant red moving free with the wind like fire and freckles scattered like stars in an infinite sky.


	8. I'm Sorry But  I Fell In Love Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's been long but it's been a difficulty month and I havent had teh energy or time to actually write, i hope this doesnt keep up jldflsd but for now take this smol chapter and hopefully enjoy it

Gilbert pulls up in front of _Green Gables_ like he has been doing daily for the last couple of weeks. He has been spending almost every possible minute with Anne, he drives her to school, he drives her back home, they have lunch together, he always drops by the dinner when she is working, and yet he can’t get enough, there aren’t enough hours on a day to be satisfied with the time he spends with Anne. He doesn’t think much of it or what he means, he isn’t sure he is ready to figure that out yet, meanwhile he will just spend all the time he can spare with Anne Shirley and not waste even a second.

He texts Anne quickly letting her know he is here and leaves the car walking towards the house door, she flings it open before he is even in front of her and he laughs.

“Someone’s excited.” He tells her. “Could it be about seeing me?”

“Nah.” She says waving him off as she steps to the side so he can walk inside the house. “ I just really want to make fun of you for not knowing how to cook.”

“I’m regretting this already.” He says with a pout and she grins at him.

“It’s gonna be great for you.” She tells him patting him on the shoulder.

“You keep saying so.” He sighs dramatically. “But I’m just dreading it.”

“It’s lit gonna be like 40 minutes at most.” She tells him. “And then when we are done you can take it to your dad and have lunch or save it for tomorrow.”

“That sounds like a good plan.” He says as he sees her gather the ingredients.

She pours warm water and salt in a bowl before putting the chicken breasts to brine for fifteen minutes as she explains, telling him the details of each step.

“What does your dad eat when you are at school, by the way?” She asks softly turning to look at him.

“Our neighbor Mary usually cooks for him or drops food in the morning when she has work.” He tells her and she nods. “I bet she wouldn’t have issue making dinner too but dad insists that’s taking advantage of their kindness.”

“I can see why he would think that.” She says. “Anyways, that’s very nice of her.”

“They are all amazing.” Gilbert says fond, he hasn’t known the LaCroix for that long just a few years but they feel almost like family already.

“I’m glad for you.” Anne says softly, the smallest of smile tugging at the corner of her lips. He just clears his throat awkward and silence falls between them until Anne’s alarm goes off and she throws herself into teaching him how to cook proper chicken breasts and rice. It’s not hard really but without Anne’s guidance and her little tricks he wouldn’t have managed to make something so tasty looking at best or would have burnt everything at worse.

“Hmm.” She says tasting a small piece of the chicken before cutting another piece of it and handing him the fork. ”Not bad, Blythe, not bad, do you think you will be able to replicate this without having me around to fix your mistakes.”

“Of course, I can.” He says bumping his shoulder onto hers. “I could be a chef now.”

“Did you just find your vocation?”She asks, her blue eyes shining with mirth.

“Maybe.” He says with a laugh. “If medicine doesn’t work out of me I’mma def consider it.”

“Medicine.” She says slowly considering it. “So a doctor?”

“If everything goes well.” He says blushing for some reason.

“I can see it.” She says with a laugh. “Doctor Blythe, it even sounds good.”

“I love it when you are supportive.” He says batting his eyelashes and leaning closer to her face she rolls her eyes and shoves him away with a hand on his cheek.

“It's just because you are such a huge nerd.” She laughs. “There’s no way you won’t manage it.”

“I’m not the only nerd here.” He teases poking her in the ribs. “What do you wanna be when you grow up?”

“We are grown ups, Blythe.” She says shaking her head. “Or almost, university is less than a year away.”

“Don’t dodge my question, freckles.” He says and she glares at him. “What do you wanna study?” 

“I don’t even know if I can go to university.” She says with a strained laugh, it would sound casual to about anyone but he can recognize her real laughs by now. “Whatever they give me a full scholarship for is what I will be.”

He eyes, it feels weird, that someone so opinionated, someone who always knows what they want and what they don’t want will say something like this.

“So no ideas then?” He asks softly and she shrugs.

“I will probably end up working straight out of school anyway.” She says looking away from him. “It’s not like I have money to actually pay for anything and the chances of a full ride are slim to none.”

“You have great grades.”He tells her and she rolls her eyes.

“Many kids in Canada have them, Blythe.” She rolls her eyes. “And I’ve never had time for extracurriculars, just great grades aren’t impressive.”

He wants to ask why she hasn’t had time but he feels like he knows the answer so he stays quiet.f

“What about the Cuthberts?” He asks unsure.

“What about them?” She asks confused.

“They will help you surely.” He tells her and she tenses.

“Who knows if they will keep me.” She says her voice almost shaky. He doesn’t answer, he doesn’t know what he could say to that and silence falls between them, just as heavy as her words.

“We should get this ready for you to take home.” She says and goes find containers for the food, a very deliberate movement that feels like she is avoiding his eyes. A movement that leaves him feeling unsettled, a wrongness clutching to his chest

⬾✶⥇

Gilbert’s words follow her into the night, follow her and imprison her on her own mind until she can’t deal with it anymore, until there’s no escape, she doesn’t manage to sleep fully, every time her eyes close she justs sees the day where she will finally have to leave the Cuthberts, the day when they , just as everyone has before them, she pictures it happening on her 18th birthday, but this time she has nowhere to go, there’s no orphanage, there’s no back up plan, she is just left alone to wander the world.

The thought haunts her all night and when her alarm blasts off she has not managed more than a restless fitful sleep, she gets out of bed feeling tired and probably looking awful by the way Marilla makes her drink a whole cup of coffee before she is out of the door and makes her pancakes out of the nowhere while Matthew asks her if she is sure she needs to go to school today, she says yes because the thought of staying at the house right now makes her want to throw up.

Marilla and Matthew send her off with worried glances between them and the moment she opens Gilbert’s car door another worried glance meets her. She shakes her head as she mumbles a good morning and just takes his phone to blast some sort of music that matches her angry mood.

He looks at her concerned but she just keeps her eyes firmly set on the front, she feels her eyes close on their own more than once but she manages to fight it and keep herself awake.

She is probably not as subtle as she thinks she is cause as soon as they park in front of the school Gilbert asks her if she is okay, she just hums and leaves the car walking straight to her locker,not having the actual energy to hold a conversation, Gilbert seems to notice and kindly restrains from making any conversation just follows her around and carries her books because she has no energy to fight about that either.

Her morning classes pass in a weird half asleep daze that makes her feel like she is living some sort of hallucination. But she manages decently enough,or she thinks she does until she doesn’t notice that Gilbert isn’t leading her to the cafeteria but to the parking lot in their lunch time.

“What are we doing?” She asks suppressing a yawn and he frowns.

“You are going home.” He says and she now it’s her time to frown.

“Anne you are basically a zombie.” He exclaims and she turns around.

“I’m fine let’s go back to class.” She mumbles as she walks but he grabs her wrist stopping her.

“We aren’t going back to class.” He says and drags her to the car.

“I don’t wanna go home,Gilbert.” Anne whines and Gilbert sighs opening the door for her.

“Then we aren’t going to your place.” He tells her and Anne shakes her head.

“Where are we going then?” She asks without getting into the car.

“What do you think about the bookshop?” He asks ans she knows exactly which one he means obviously. “You can have some coffee you can nap on the couches if you want to, I will make sure our things are taken care of of course. “

She just sighs and gets into the ca, she didn’t wanna spend the rest of the afternoon at school anyway.

⬾✶⥇

“Can I ask what happened?” Gilbert asks her softly. They are on his car,parked in front of _Green Gables,_ they spent the rest of the school hours on the cozy bookshop, she even managed a small nap before engulfing as many coffees as Gilbert was willing to let her.

“I had a nightmare last night.” She mumbles without even thinking about it, her initial instinct of hiding everything that can make her seems weak completely gone when Gilbert is around.

“About what?” He asks and Anne sighs. She hesitates on telling him but she already started so why not.

“About…” She looks down to her lap as she starts playing with the edge of her sweater. “About when I will have to leave.”

“What do you mean?” He asks softly and she shrugs.

“My birthday is in March.” She tells him softly. “I will be eighteen then and Marilla and Matthew will have no reason to actually keep me around nor any obligation, then what am I going to do? Where will I go?”

Gilbert stays quiet for a few seconds and she looks out of the window of the car.

“They aren’t just gonna throw you away the moment you turn of age, Anne.” He tells her softly. “They wouldn’t have taken you in if they were gonna do that. “

“You don’t know that.” She tells him and he sighs.

“Yes, I do.” He assures her. “I know Matthew and Marilla since I was born, this whole town knows each other, they are good people, and even more important than that, they adore you, I have never seen them as happy as they are with you.”

“You are exaggerating.” She mumbles because she believes this, there’s no way any of that is true, no matter how much she would like to believe that she can’t, she just can’t.

“I’m not.” He says with a sigh but drops the topic and silence fills the car.

“Anyways.” He says after a while sounding awkward. “Whenever you need to talk, or can’t sleep you can call me, no matter the day or the time.”

She rolls her eyes at the use of her own words.

“Get your own comfort sentence, Blythe.” She says attempting a smile and he attempts some sort of laugh.

“I’m just saying.” He says and when she stays quiet he pokes her on the shoulder. “Promise that you will.”

“I promise, I promise.” She says. “You are so insistent.”

“So I’ve been told.” He says and she laughs softly, truly amused.

“Anyways I gotta go, I have a shift that starts about now.” She says a little awkwardly as she leaves the car, he waves at her and she waves back before getting inside the dinner. She is still so tired she feels it on her bones but somehow talking with Gilbert made her feel lighter in some way.

Even then when it’s once again dark outside she hesitates to call him, she hesitates to reach to him, she has never had anyone to help her before so she can’t bring herself to actually call him even though she is almost aching to do it.

Apparently destiny is on her side tonight because he calls her.

“Hi.” She tries to say casually after hurrying to answer him.

“Hi.” He says. “Are you awake?”

“Obviously.” She says rolling her eye seven if he doesn’t see her.

“Are you sleepy?” He asks ignoring her sarcasm.

“No?” She says confused.

“Do you think you can sneak out?”

“What?” She exclaims surprised a little louder than she should.

“I’m outside.” He tells her and she hurries out of bed to look out the window, she can’t see much but she can see the silhouette of his car.

“Give me ten minutes.” She tells him and hurries to pick her things up.

⬾✶⥇

Gilbert sighs, taking a deep breath of the sea air. He loves this spot, he loves the view of the night sky mixed with the vast ocean beneath them, he loves the sound of the waves hitting against the rocks of the cliff, it’s a little piece of paradise just for himself. He turns to look at Anne wrapped around one of the blankets he brought from home, he hopes she is loving it too.

“Is it true?” She asks softly. “That the stars we see are dead, that because they are so far away that by the time their light reaches us they no longer exist?”

“Not, really.” He tells her softly. “The stars we can see with the naked eye are all relatively close, only a few hundred light years away, which means there is a delay in the time it takes their light to reach us, but it’s not far away for them to be actually dead, stars live billions of years.”

“That’s a delightful piece of information.” She says with a smile. “I always thought it was such a sad thing, that all we were seeing were echoes of life, I wondered if it was true too but in the end I never cared enough to actually look it up.”

He doesn’t say anything to that, just lets the silence take over them as he keeps looking at her. He read a poem once, that claimed that people are just stars with human names and he never quite believed it, he never quite saw the sense to it, how mere humans could compare to one of the most marvelous things of creation, how just people could be as magnificent as the building blocks of the universe.

But in this very moment, with the darkness engulfing them,the whisper of the sea lulling them, he gets it.

Because looking at Anne he can understand how humans can be something as immense and vast as stars, he sees how they can shine just as brightly, and he has no doubt now that they can be just as intriguing, and how they can be just as beautiful.

Maybe even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can always come find me on my twitter: sky_girls_  
> or my tumblr: starlight-fires.tumblr.com


End file.
